Girton student supports renewable energy projects in Peru

^{Girton student, Suzy Simmonite (second right) with Engineering Without Border colleagues at Machu Piccu}

In this article, second-year Girton Engineering student Suzanna Simmonite reflects on an engineering internship she undertook in Peru during the summer vacation, where she contributed to community hydropower and wind-energy projects, developed practical skills, and explored the country.

My Engineering Internship and Travels in Peru
This summer, I travelled to Peru for a 2-month engineering internship focused on energy and the environment, alongside several other Cambridge students. My goal was to progress a project that I have been working on, and recently became Co-Lead for, with the Cambridge Chapter of Engineers Without Borders. 

Throughout the last year, we have been collaborating with WindAid, a non-profit based in Peru, on designing and installing a hydropower system for a remote community in the highlands of the country. This would provide crucially helpful power to this community. Through the past year we have researched different possible solutions, including a centrifugal pump, a pump as turbine, and a water wheel system. This summer internship focused on gathering the necessary information we need to make the best design choices for this system, and I was responsible for preparing and conducting the site visit, which several team members participated in. 

Technical aspects of this visit included a longitudinal gradient survey, sediment analysis, and the installation of a continuous flow rate measuring system. We were also able to converse with the family and discuss what their hopes for the project were, and view a nearby hydropower system. I loved seeing my efforts have a real-world impact to hopefully improve people’s lives. 

During my time on the internship, I also helped to build and install a wind turbine for a different household. This was very practical work, and I was able to learn welding, resin making and other such skills.

Living and working in Peru was certainly a unique experience, as we were able to meet and learn from Peruvians in the community, as well as meeting other young people from varying countries on the internship program. Doing weekly Spanish classes with the group, as well as group activities like football and salsa meant we were doing something fun every evening.

We were able to travel on most weekends, so got to explore the incredible beauty of Peru, for example completing a 2 day trek to see Machu Piccu, and sandboarding in the desert. Through these experiences I was able to learn a lot about myself and meet some amazing people that gave me new perspectives about the world.

Being put primarily in charge of this project was a challenge, as I have never done anything similar to this, and I had to adapt to use the equipment available and do a lot of research to properly understand what we needed to find out. I have learnt a lot about surveying, as well as the many factors that have to be considered for projects such as this.

I thoroughly enjoyed this experience and I am keen to return to South America for more travel in the future. I am excited to continue working on this project with Engineers Without Borders, and to find other ways to apply my engineering degree to real-world projects.

Written by Suzanna Simmonite.