Engineering and Construction:
Integrating Solar Panels with a Cooling System:
Project description:
Introduction:
The aim of this assignment is to produce an individual technical report, use and application of innovation tools and theory to solve a technical problem to achieve a sustainable future.
Learning Outcomes:
There is one Learning Outcome that you have to satisfy for this assignment:
1. Critically evaluate and apply appropriate innovation and creativity tools and techniques to solve a technical problem to achieve a sustainable future.
The Brief:
Many problems within engineering are based on the revision of an existing design or process to provide a sustainable or environmental solution whilst achieving the original objective.
The concept behind this assignment is the utilization of innovation tools for a sustainable solution to an existing engineering issue providing an improved outcome.
Consider the assignment as a real study or challenge, planning your approach to include a report based submission supported by a presentation based on:
1. The identification of a problem with an existing product or process whereby sustainable and innovative thought could lead to an environmentally improved solution.
Note: Your report should have a discussion section on the perceived problem as part of the introduction.
2. Research a range of potential tools and approaches that have the potential to provide solutions to the identified “challenge”. This should be set out as a critical review considering the suitability and appropriateness of the range of tools available to you if they were applied to your problem area.
3. In a separate section, provide a critical evaluation of the tools reviewed in 2. above using advanced techniques such as Decision Matrices (Kepner Tregoe would be one technique, for example). Justification of your decisions related to completion of the evaluation should be based on reasoning and included in a methodology for the study. You should also include rationalisations, from your own perspective, whether you feel that they may or may not be appropriate and provide reasoning for this.
Citations of other case studies or examples from innovation literature to support your arguments and justification would be useful additions.
4. From these findings you should then finally conclude making recommendations as to one or more appropriate solution(s) that you propose to satisfy an optimized sustainable engineering design resolution to the problem (in your own eyes). This is also the place to provide appropriate recommendations for alternative tools and further studies.