The Cal Poly Solar Regatta Club took home several awards during the Solar Regatta annual competition hosted by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD).
Members Niko Banks, a March 2022 bachelor’s and master’s degree graduate in mechanical engineering; Emerson Nicholas and Cooper Nichols, both first year mechanical engineering students; and Kaveh Shafiei, first year electrical engineering student, took home 2nd place overall and individual awards for fastest slalom time, best drivetrain and best presentation.
In 2019-2020, two ME senior project teams developed a boat and solar-powered propulsion system to enter the competition for the first time. After the competition was cancelled due to COVID-19, a senior project team in 2020-2021 developed a solar tracking system as an additional feature, before the 2021 competition was cancelled as well. This year, Banks, one of the original team members, pulled together a new team of students to finalize the boat and prep it for this year’s competition.
