This week our group made significant progress with our white paper project. We began by constructing a thoroughly thought-out Ghantt chart. In doing this, our main goal was to distribute the various tasks evenly between all of the members, and also plan out a course of action. These tasks were divided between the five weeks available for the project, namely weeks 12 thru 16. The first week was focused on the project proposal, while the current week was focused on the construction of a Ghantt chart and the outlining of a research plan. The remaining weeks of the project were divided into tasks relevant to actual project research, white paper rough drafting, and final project drafting. Using this Ghantt chart, we feel we’ll be able to more efficiently and effectively complete this project, and avoid any time conflicts.
As mentioned, the other major focus of our group this week concerned outlining a research plan. To aid in group communication, we held an on-campus meeting where we brainstormed possible courses of action. The eventual consensus reached was that we would focus on several (most likely 3 or 4) different types of energy-reducing concepts, and leverage the advantages and disadvantages to a potential contractor. The concepts that held the most potential, after some basic research, appeared to be solar, geothermal, and wind. We initially decided to split these options between the group members, and tackle the research individually. The group then ran into a problem when we were informed, based on the submitted proposal, that our potential energy-reducing concepts may not be “mutually exclusive” enough.
With this in mind, we chose to revise our plans. The group decided to focus on the geothermal methods of energy reduction, notably geothermal heat pumps. These heat pumps were found to come in several varieties, with various advantages and disadvantages for each. The final consensus reached was that we would leverage these aspects of several such methods to a contractor interested in installing and maintaining such alternative energy systems for homeowners. Using the information researched and provided in our white paper, this contractor would be able to reach an informed decision about which type of heat pump to specialize in, based on such factors as regional geography, product efficiency, cost, etc.
With the progress made during this week, our group feels prepared to begin more in-depth research of these geothermal heat pumps.
Feedback: Group 3 Week 13 Activity Report
I as Isaac and I have discussed via email, I think this shift in your project is a good one. This focus will allow you to really do some thorough research, and to present that research in a highly tailored fashion.
This is also a thorough activity report that really allows me to see you all at work. Keep it up!