Decarb Challenge Recipients

General project status
We have set up an anaerobic digester to produce bio gas. Two students groups are working on demo units that will take heat from burning the bio gas to run a motor or turn on lights. We are also working on the educational side of things to teach people how and why we can work towards decarbonization by properly composting organic waste (food and green waste) to be used to create electricity.  The students will present their work at the SoCal ASHRAE Chapter meeting on May 7, and at the Sr. Project Expo on May 31 at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. 

Amount of grant money spent 
We have spent approximately $1000. 

Any challenges or blockers to completing the project on time
The students will have the demo energy units and project completed by June 14. The only thing that might not be working is the demo anerobic digester that produces the bio gas.

Estimated Completion Date
June 14, 2024

Any other relevant updates or achievements
Attached are pictures of our visit to the San Luis Obispo anerobic organic waste digester and power plant - Komposgas SLO 

We have secured a time and location for a decarbonization presentation for families assisted by Community Services League (May 29th at Blend Well Community Café in Independence, MO).
There, we will also be handing out smart appliances for these families to install, program and use to reduce their energy consumption.
We hope to gather energy bills from the last year before then, and then plan on checking back in June 2025 for a calculation of the energy reduction.

We have purchased, installed, and tested the pew heater systems that were part of our original grant.  We have prepared the data collected for presentation purposes and have started presenting the results (see last bullet point below).  The scope of work for our original grant application has concluded.  However, because of unsatisfactory results, we plan to test other heating alternatives in the future.
We have spent $4,015 of the $4,250 grant received from ASHRAE, and still have $1,500 of funds from Cincinnati’s ASHRAE chapter.
Receiving news of the grant at the end of January left us with less time to complete our project than anticipated, especially with most of the heating season having already passed.  Regardless, we have been able to install and pilot the system and have collected the information that we had hoped to.
The original grant project has been completed, but the group intends to continue research into this topic with the remaining funds in the near and farther future.
Jessica Burke presented this project as her masters’ capstone with a very positive reception from University of Cincinnati Faculty.  The group will also be presenting our project at the Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit.

General Project Status
The intent of our project is to design and install a solar water heating system for a high school in Ullo, Ghana.  Design efforts for the project have been completed throughout this spring through collaboration between professional members of the Cedar Valley Chapter, engineering students from Iowa State University and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (Ghana), and local leaders from Ullo, Ghana.  This has included developing a piping layout, researching solar water collectors and coordinating with local suppliers for pricing/procurement, pump selection, and design of system controls.  Piping plans were sent to local contractors in mid-April to begin installation.  Procurement of more robust equipment (collectors and pump) are currently underway.  A group of our design members is traveling out to Ghana from May 3rd-12th to assist with the next stages of the installation.  This includes two members of the Cedar Valley Chapter (myself and Dwight Schumm), three engineering students from ISU, and three engineering professors from ISU.  We are very excited and vigorously preparing for this trip!
Amount of Grant Money Spent
$3,032.38 – Solar Water Collectors
Remaining funds of our $7,000 grant will be spent toward piping & piping accessories, a pump, and local labor.  Local contractors (who are members of the Ullo community) are coordinating pipe installation and will be reimbursed with our funds through time and material.
Challengers or Blockers to Completion of Project On-Time
We are currently tracking very well with our project schedule and are pleased with the pace that we’ve been able to maintain.  We’ve been progressing with the intent of reaching substantial completion when our team visits Ullo for the first half of May.  However, there are many obstacles involved with international construction that could create unforeseen delays between now and then.  These would primarily relate to delayed material delivery.  However, if these circumstances were to delay construction beyond the time that we are in-country, we are confident that we can coordinate with local contractors to complete the work in late-May or early-June after we depart.
Estimated Completion Date
Our tentative goal is for a project completion date of May 12th at the conclusion of our implementation trip.
Relevant Updates or Achievements
We have been collaborating with ISU’s Engineers Without Borders Chapter for this project.  ISU-EWB’s next big project will be the design and construction of a large clinic in Ullo, Ghana.  Our hope is that the solar water heating system that we install at Ullo High School as part of the Decarbonization Challenge can serve as a model for a similar system to be installed at the Ullo Clinic.  We’ve gotten in touch with ISU’s student ASHRAE Chapter and they hope to join in on the collaboration in the future design efforts for the clinic. 

General Project Status 
The project is progressing well, with activities continuing as planned. Over the past three months, we have held bi-weekly meetings with members from the nine participating entities. In addition, subcommittees have been working on the website, terminology guide, and project launch event. We experienced a setback due to a change in the Secretary of Climate Change, but we have since reestablished our connection and their involvement in the project.
The participating entities include:
•    ASBEA-SP - Brazilian Association of Architectural Offices
•    ABRAINC - Brazilian Association of Real Estate Development Companies
•    ABRAFAC - Brazilian Association of Facility Management, Property & Workplace
•    ABRISTAL - Brazilian Association for the Compliance and Efficiency of Installations
•    CBCS - Brazilian Council for Sustainable Construction
•    SECOVI - Union of Companies for the Purchase, Sale, Lease, or Administration of Residential or Commercial Real Estate
•    SINDUSCON - Union of the Civil Construction Industry of Large Structures in the State of São Paul
Grant Money Spent
To date, we have spent $5,000. This expenditure covers the creation of the visual identity and website, as well as the graphic design of the terminology guide.
Challenges and Blockers 
The main challenge has been the transition and appointment of a new Secretary of Climate Change for the City of São Paulo, which caused some delays. Nevertheless, we continued working in parallel. Another challenge was organizing and aligning the nine entities to formalize a letter of intent, which we have successfully achieved.
Estimated Completion Date
Our project is divided into three stages:
•    Website: Expected delivery by June 20
•    Terminology and Definitions Guide: Despite some delays, we anticipate completion by June 30
•    Launch Event: The event was postponed to ensure its completion and to secure support and participation from the City of São Paulo. It is now scheduled to take place at the CREA-SP auditorium - Regional Engineering Council, with an opening by Secretary Mr. Renato Nalini, on August 13.
Other Relevant Updates or Achievements
We are initiating discussions with C40, who are assisting the Secretariat and inviting us to participate and understand the synergies between our projects. Additionally, we are also involved in updating PLANCLIMA, the city's climate action plan.

General Project Status
The project has successfully implemented a full-scale double-skin facade with a functioning photobioreactor for biomass production.
A novel RGB-image processing technique has been developed to monitor biomass concentration within the system.
Amount of Grant Money Spent
A total of $2,000 has been spent on the project to date.
•    Research Assistant Hours: $600
•    Materials: $1,000 (for glass panels, lumber, microalgae strains, nutrients, air pump with attachments, etc)
•    Fabrication Costs: $400 (e.g., table saws, crosscut saws, panel saws, jointers, etc)
 Challenges or Blockers to Completing the Project on Time
No challenges reported yet.
 Estimated Completion Date:
Currently, the system is pending the installation of fans for data collection during the peak summer months (July and August).
To capture seasonal variations, winter measurements are necessary. Therefore, the project completion is expected by next January.

General project status
Have received estimates back from window contractors and finished up a matching donation campaign at the local Chapter level
Amount of grant money spent
$0
Any challenges or blockers to completing the project on time
No, the project may get scaled back a bit based on available funds (ie. Replacing a portion of the windows in the facility instead of all of them)
Estimated Completion Date
May 2024
Any other relevant updates or achievements
The Chapter was able to receive $2,975 in donations from chapter members, which was then matched an additional $2,975 out of the Chapter’s general fund