Environmental Internship Program - 2019 Booklet

Jose Ayala Garcia ’22
MECHANICAL AND AEROSPACE
ENGINEERING
NEW ENERGY FUTURE
PROJECT TITLE
Solar Microgrid Research
ORGANIZATION(S)
BoxPower Inc.
LOCATION(S)
Grass Valley, California
MENTOR(S)
Anderson Barkow,
Co-Founder and Vice
President of Finance,
BoxPower Inc.;
Angelo Campus, Founder
and CEO, BoxPower Inc.
I worked alongside BoxPower’s production
and engineering crew to develop a miniature
version of their original solar-power system.
BoxPower manufactures containerized solar
energy generators that are currently used in
rural communities and for disaster relief. I
worked directly with the CEO to develop this new
product. I used computer-aided design (CAD)
to design the the miniature container’s frame
and mounting brackets, and produced drawings
used to manufacture both. I then developed the
initial model of the container itself and served
as the point of contact between the welders and
BoxPower. I worked with the production crew to
produce a prototype of the miniature generator
that was shipped to Hawaii in mid-August. I also
worked with the head of engineering to edit and
update BoxPower’s patents, which taught me a
lot about patents and how to obtain one. This
internship developed my skills with CAD as well
as my technical drawing skills. I also updated the
company website at the request of BoxPower’s
head of finance, which developed my HTML
skills. Renewable energy is a field I want to keep
exploring and I plan on taking related courses in
the upcoming semesters.
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