Background
I am working with the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology on refurbishing their Mobile Energy Operation Wagon. It was stolen and vandalized so the goal is to restore and improve it's aesthetics and begin restoring it's operability. The outside has to get painted in a way that will represent CCAT. Solar panels need to get remounted and batteries need to be bought and installed if time allows. I will be working on this project during the 2012 spring semester and at the minumum, will have the MEOW's aesthetics restored and the solar panels mounted. I hope to work even further onto installing the batteries. I will be working at the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology, located on the HSU campus.
Problem statement
The objective of this project is to restore the Mobile Energy Operation Wagon. We will be making it look more attractive by painting it to better represent CCAT. We will also ensure a positive EROI by running the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology on the MEOW.
Evaluation Criteria
This section was created to weigh the amount of work and budget that goes into each aspect. The goal of this project is to restore CCAT’s MEOW, paying special attention to aesthetics, so it can be modified for efficiency in a future project. I want to focus on durability, aesthetics and educational value as well as the obvious safety factor, so my project lays a good foundation for future projects.
| Criteria | Constraints | Weight (0-10) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | must meet the budget | 7 |
| Safety | must be safe for everyone, especially since we’re dealing with electricity | 10 |
| Maintainability | must be perform maintenance work on fairly easily, strive for simplicity | 7 |
| Durability | must be built structurally sound and built to last | 8 |
| Aesthetics | must be pleasant to look at | 9 |
| Efficiency | must be as least as efficient as the previous design | 7 |
| Operability | must be able to operate with one or two people | 8 |
| Educational Value | must be easily comprehensible upon first glance, and able to educate citizens in detail | 9 |
| Mobility | must be able to be transported, the lighter the better | 5 |
| Modular Expandability | must be able to adapt and expand for future design and improvement | 8 |