Internship – Solar Charging Station Product Design

The Company

DC Opportunities R&D is a young start-up located within the company incubator YES!Delft. We focus on developing direct current (DC) solutions that respond to the current energy transition. In this broad context, DC Opportunities is working in various fields including solar home systems, rural electrification, electromobility, and end-user appliances.

YES!Delft building from the inside

The Project: Rural Electrification of Developing Countries

More than a billion people still lack access to electricity, which for most of us is a basic need. While access to electricity is not a solution to poverty, it is a necessary actuator. The most alarming amount of these people live in rural areas of developing countries. The challenges entailed in geographical obstacles together with limited and volatile resources result in the need to develop tailored solutions for these conditions. The goal of this project, therefore, is to develop a modular Solar Home System tailored for this application in order to provide a long-term reliable solution. The prototype of the modular SHS will be field-tested in the near future in Ethiopia during a pilot project.

Unelectrified village of Ethioia where a field test will be implemented

The Internship: Product Design of the Solar Charging Station

Our Solar Home System is tailored for rural areas of developing countries. Hence, one of the main tasks involved in the project is analysing user preferences and interfaces, potential market and consumption habits. 

One of the tasks of the internship will involve collaborating with the hardware team to design and develop a final product based on the user preferences. This will involve design of cases to be 3D printed in our lab as well as researching the targeted market.

The 3D printer within our lab

Competences:

  • Industrial Design Background in Product Development
  • Familiar with  Solidworks/FreeCad or another 3D modelling software
  • Proficient in both spoken and written English
  • Adaptability to work in an international environment

If you are interested in the internship or would like to learn more about the project contact us at: lukas.irazusta@dc-opportunities.com