EPICS - Solar Energy Solutions in Indonesia

The Rural Energy Pioneer project was developed through ASU’s Engineering Projects in Community Service program in collaboration with an Indonesian student team. The goal was to help rural communities better understand, maintain, and troubleshoot solar-energy systems, especially in areas where professional repairs may take days or weeks to reach.

The project focused on creating an accessible educational system that could reduce solar-system downtime and improve local knowledge. The final concept combined a multilingual troubleshooting website, a physical educational kit, and a Solar Ambassador Program designed to support students, volunteers, and rural communities. The website included visual explanations, selectable troubleshooting paths, maintenance guidance, and information on common solar-system components such as panels, batteries, inverters, charge controllers, circuit breakers, and outlets.

As the design lead, I helped guide the project through stakeholder analysis, design requirements, concept development, competitor research, and prototype planning. I contributed to the structure and usability of the educational website, researched common solar-panel failures and maintenance needs, and helped define requirements related to cost, accessibility, climate conditions, language, and ease of use.

The project required collaboration across engineering disciplines and between teams in the United States and Indonesia. We considered the needs of rural residents, homeowners, technicians, educators, students, government organizations, and sustainability-focused groups. The design was intended to be understandable for users as young as 13, available in multiple Indonesian languages, adaptable to different islands and climates, and expandable as new information became available.

Our team also developed a formal design review presentation covering the problem, stakeholder needs, competitor analysis, brainstorming process, selected solution, website development, prototype goals, user testing, and long-term deployment plan. Planned validation included navigation testing, content-comprehension surveys, and feedback from both ASU students and Indonesian users.