ADMU wins global 'green in the city' challenge

MANILA, Philippines - Two students from Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) beat 25 other teams from around the world to win first place in Schneider Electric’s 'Go Green in the City' Global Finals held last June 26-29 in Paris, France.

Lorenz Ray Payonga and Alyssa Tricia Vintola, electronics and communications engineering students from ADMU, represented the Philippines in the competition where contestants presented ideas and solutions to optimize the use of power and energy.

Payonga and Vintola presented their project called 'Oscillohump,' an alternative energy solution which harvests energy from road humps.

The Oscillohump uses electromagnetic induction, and whenever vehicles pass over the Oscillohump, they press springs which plunge magnets into solenoids or metal coils which generate power to charge a battery. The battery is then used to power DC loads such as LED street lights, traffic lights or closed-circuit television cameras. Excess energy may be fed to a power grid.

The winning team bested contestants from France, Germany, Russia, Brazil, Turkey, India, China, United States, Poland, Singapore and Indonesia.

The team won for the project's design and creativity, innovative thinking, feasibility, cost effectiveness, energy efficiency and social impact. 

Dr. Reese Macabebe from ADMU and engineer Homer Ilagan from Schneider Electric Philippines mentored the team in the Global Finals.