Texas State Net Impact team wins Future of Energy competition

By Jack McClellan
Office of Media Relations
March 6, 2018

SAN MARCOS – Texas State University's Net Impact chapter in the McCoy College of Business Administration has won first place in the Future of Energy Challenge, a competition sponsored by Royal Dutch Shell.

The students won the competition with their solar energy concept, which utilized the benefits of decentralized power generation. The team will present its project at the Powering Progress Together Conference and Shell Eco-marathon in San Francisco, April 18-20.

The team included students across multiple disciplines. Texas State's Nikita Demidov and Joseph Fisher, undergraduate finance majors; Cedrik Chavez, an undergraduate studying digital media and innovation; and Milad Korde, a Ph.D. student in geographic information science, collaborated on the project. Kaitlyn Hering, Taylor Hermes and Nicole Majeske, students in the School of Art and Design, assisted in crafting the final submission and presentation materials. Muhammad Abdullah, a graduate student in mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan, was also a member of the team.

“The project was an incredible learning experience for everyone on the team,” Demidov said. “We started the project knowing almost nothing on the topic, but now we are almost fluent in it. I hope more students from all departments will take on opportunities like that and expand beyond their academic curriculum.”

The students’ project used existing solar technology to create a “blockchain,” a decentralized system of generating power which allows consumers to purchase and sell power. The reliable and scalable exchange program would potentially attract more people to solar energy, allow consumers to generate profit, increase the production of clean energy and decrease reliance on traditionally-produced energy.

“It is noteworthy that our team was selected as the number one concept by a company as large and high profile as Shell,” Fisher said. “Their recognition of our hard work is extremely satisfying. We are excited as a chapter to be recognized, and fortunate to have the opportunity to represent Texas State.”

About Texas State University

Founded in 1899, Texas State University is among the largest universities in Texas with an enrollment of 38,694 students on campuses in San Marcos and Round Rock. Texas State’s 184,000-plus alumni are a powerful force in serving the economic workforce needs of Texas and throughout the world. Designated an Emerging Research University by the State of Texas, Texas State is classified under “Doctoral Universities: Higher Research Activity,” the second-highest designation for research institutions under the Carnegie classification system.