Chris Thompson
I grew up in a small rural village in Alaska where I had spent most of my life until my high school years. Prior to the start of my college career, I got some real world job experience in order to help pay for college. During this period I managed a telephone and power plant company in my hometown of Bettles, Alaska. While working there, I also became a city council member and maintained an active role in the community.
Seeing first-hand the cost of energy and the struggles people have with meeting their energy needs made me realize how much potential Alaska has. This job experience is largely what shaped my decision to get degrees in Mechanical and Civil Engineering with an emphasis on renewable energies. As part of my plan to become a renewable energy consultant for rural communities, I have attained my pilot’s license, since there are very few roads in Alaska.
My interest in renewable energies has diversified from conventional wind and solar to include bio-fuels and other aspects of energy production. My latest project was the completion of a waste vegetable oil (WVO) powered vehicle which has been tested successfully with the completion of two cross country trips from the west coast to the east coast and back to Flagstaff, Arizona.
My desire to learn more about bio-fuels is partially what drew me to the clean burning wood stove. In addition, I have witnessed how the burning of bio-fuels for heat causes pollution due to inefficient combustion. I feel like the experience I gained from this project will be useful and something I can implement to benefit rural Alaska in the future.