Sen. Maria Cantwell stopped by the Western campus on Friday, May 1, to talk with members of the Institute for Energy Studies, Science, Mathematics and Technology Education programs. Cantwell held conversations with a number of campus sustainability leaders and proceeded to view a demonstration of the Smart Solar Window prototype. The Smart Solar Window prototype was designed by a group of chemistry, engineering, design and business students. The prototype won a $75,000 first place prize at the Environmental Protection Agency’s “P3: People, Prosperity and the Planet” competition in Washington, D.C. Students win $75,000 grant to develop solar panels During Cantwell’s visit, the Smart Solar Window team showed her how the window worked. The window receives energy from sunlight and proceeds to convert the light into electricity. This method of gathering electricity is able to cut costs of heating down by 10 to 30 percent and the window can be operated using a phone or a computer. The prize will go toward future improvements of the solar window design and work toward getting the windows on the market.
