CAPSTONE PROJECT

NOTE: AS OF TODAY, TEXT ON THIS PAGE MAY BE FULLY OR PARTIALLY OWNED AND PROVIDED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, IT'S SUBSIDIARIES (The University of Toronto’s Centre for Global Engineering (CGEN) , AND/OR Reto Juvenil International (RJI). No NDA was required for this project.

General Details:

Client: Reto Juvenil Internacional

Supervisor: Prof. Amy Bilton

Project ID: RJI-3 (project title to be updated soon)

Description of the Project

Summary:

Children’s Town in Bogotá provides vital support to youth escaping forced recruitment, but high electricity costs limit its ability to fund vocational training. This capstone project aims to reduce those costs by designing a solar-powered system for a study room and optimizing three existing residential solar installations.

Background:

"Children’s Town (CT) in Bogotá offers shelter, education, and psychological support for youth who have escaped forced recruitment by guerrilla groups. The center is operated by a Catholic civil association and depends entirely on donations. Electricity usage—particularly in study spaces and residential buildings—is a major expense. CT also operates a “Technical Training Support Fund” to help graduates pursue vocational education, but financial constraints limit its reach. Reducing electricity expenses could allow the organization to extend more post-graduation support to youth."

Project Description: 

"The capstone team will work on two fronts: converting the electricity supply of a study room to solar energy, and optimizing three existing solar panel systems installed on children’s houses. Students will perform energy audits, assess inefficiencies in current systems, and redesign or retrofit the solar infrastructure for improved reliability and performance. Deliverables will include updated system schematics, simulations of projected savings, and a simplified diagnostics and maintenance plan for local staff. This project will be co-developed and facilitated by Reto Juvenil Internacional and the University of Toronto’s Centre for Global Engineering (CGEN)."

In this capstone design project, the client expects the team to design the following:

• Design and implement a solar-powered system for the study room

• Reconfigure or optimize three existing residential solar systems

• Develop a basic energy monitoring plan and troubleshooting guide