Solar-powered fountain
A self-powered stone fountain, designed, funded and installed as a year-long senior project.
$1,100 raised, installed, and handed off to student owners.
- Role
- Design lead
- Tools
- Onshape, pump and solar sizing
- Funding
- $1,100 raised online
Run on sunlight alone
The goal was a fountain that could run on sunlight alone, which meant the water feature, the pump and the solar panel all had to be designed as one system.
There was no budget to start with, so the funding had to be raised as part of the project.
Size everything to a flow rate
I led the design in Onshape, working from a target flow rate. The pump and solar panel were sized to that target, so the fountain's output was a design decision rather than whatever the parts happened to give.
Because the sun is the only power source, the panel and pump had to be matched to each other from the start.
Contractors, then installation
I met with outside contractors to learn how fountains are built in industry and how they are designed.
I raised $1,100 online to pay for it, then led the assembly and installation on site.
Built to outlast the team
The finished fountain was installed on site, running on solar power, on a design I carried from concept through installation.
I handed off a maintenance plan so the student owners could keep it running after I graduated, because a project like this has to outlast the people who built it.