Central Michigan University and DTE Energy are commemorating a partnership with a new solar powered picnic table on campus.
For the past two years, CMU students have partnered with DTE to develop renewable energy projects. Last summer, the student team helped develop a way to accurately measure the amount of energy produced by a solar park in Lapeer county.
CMU Engineering Professor, Kumar Yelamarthi, said the partnership is an opportunity for students to get hands on experience before they graduate.
“By doing this, before they even graduate in four years. They can officially say: ‘I know what a real world project looks like. I interacted with working engineers and I learned what to look out for and what are the best practices in the industry.’”
Yelamarthi said DTE donated a solar powered picnic table that incorporates the same tech developed over the summer. The table has four solar panels that collect energy and stores it in a battery. It also has charging stations for laptops and phones.
Yelamarthi said he plans to have a new partnership with D-T-E next year to continue to give students unique learning opportunities in the future.
DTE Renewable Energy Operation Manager, Ed Henderson, said he hopes to see more CMU students involved in projects to find new talent for the company in the future.
“Fifty percent of our workforce is in a position to be eligible for retirement by 2026. So we are constantly looking for young, new talent to come in and help us.”