2023 STANSW Young Scientist Awards Presentation Ceremony
Secondary : Stephanie Chew , PLC Sydney , Food Scrap Based Microbial Fuel Cell : Do high-carbohydrate food scraps generate more electricity than low-carbohydrate food scraps in a microbial fuel cell ?
Reducing waste is an important part of a sustainable future . Stephanie explored the possibilities of using a microbial fuel cell to convert the chemical energy in food scraps into electrical energy . Her tests using banana peel , potato peel and white jasmine rice showed that a higher sugar content led to more electricity .
Secondary : Jasmine Civardi , PLC Sydney , SPS ( Spinach Powered Solar ); An Alternative Sustainable DSSC Solar Panel for an Agrivoltaic Application
Solar panels can play a role in providing electricity on farms . Jasmine ’ s dye-sensitised solar cell uses spinach as the coloured component , making it a more sustainable option than standard cells . The stand for the panel was designed to allow the panel to follow the sun and for rain to go through , so that selected crops can be grown below .
Secondary : Lily Rofail , PLC Sydney , Tower Power ! Can the motion of a wave induced by building sway generate electricity using electromagnetic induction ?
Lily tested whether the swaying motion of a tall building could be used to generate electricity . This would make effective use of energy that would otherwise be wasted . Her experiments with a shake table and water tank showed that a surge converter could be used successfully to generate electricity in this situation .
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