Wind Turbines, Machine Learning, and Lamas in Peru

Since September 2023, I've worked with the Peruvian nonprofit WindAid Institute, which fosters a collaborative space for engineers worldwide interested in expanding renewable energy in developing countries and learning the fundamentals of wind energy.

Throughout the fall 2023 semester, my team at Villanova University developed a circuit that would drop the 12V input from a battery storing energy from the wind turbine to 5V that could charge mobile devices through a USB port. This is critical for many rural families, since outlets are rare in households off the main roadways.

For the month of June, 2024, I traveled to Trujillo, Peru to work at the Universidad Nacional de Trujillo with WindAid, where I developed tangible workshop skills including circuity, welding, and soldering. In the process of building 200 Watt turbines from scratch with a team of interns from France, Germany, UK, China, Peru, and USA, I developed my intercultural communication skills while learning Spanish vocabulary to describe the aerodynamics, manufacturing processing, and physics of wind energy generation. One visit to the local hardware market was particularly impactful, where I served as the language interpreter between English and Spanish to purchase a solar panel and battery system for our project. The most gratifying moment of my visit, however, was on installation day, when, after several hours of wiring lights and installing the battery in the house, mounting a solar panel on the roof, and hoisting the 10 meter turbine into place at 1000 meter altitude, we celebrated with the family as they turned on the lights in their home for the first time.

Given my background in Machine Learning, I proposed a project to my boss at WindAid that I could complete during my internship. Using predictive modeling in Python, we could forecast the maintenance time and specific needs of select wind turbines given data on past failures, weather conditions, and battery health. It has been a transformative experience seeing how integrating my passions for sustainability and data science can compliment each other in enacting social justice.

While abroad, I could not pass up the opportunity to cross Machu Picchu (or "Big Mountain" in Quechuan). In my adventure through Cusco, Aguas Calientes, and the tall peaks of the Andes with my fellow interns, I witnessed some breathtaking nature and even hugged a lama/alpaca or two.

I'm so grateful to WindAid for the international connections I've built and the life-changing lessons about wind energy, machine learning, and Incan and Peruvian cultures that I've gained. I hope to return soon!