Jono Daly who majored in electrical engineering for his Bachelor of Engineering Technology degree at the Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) in 2014 couldn’t be happier. Not only has he been accepted as an Engineering Officer with the New Zealand Air Force, he was involved in an exciting energy project as part of his final year project for his Degree – a project which offers real benefit to the increasing numbers of people who rely on renewable energy.
“Seeing my final year student project actually being of real use to people is fantastic,” says Jono. “The battery monitoring system can be fitted to any medium-sized energy system to enhance the performance of renewable energy systems by switching loads on and off to help balance supply and demand. It is designed to be super flexible so it can really be used anywhere, including in the average Kiwi home.”
“Jono’s aim was to control the prototype hydrogen generator on Matiu/Somes Island to maximise the total energy output of the system without starting the back-up generator,” says Callaghan Innovation Senior Research Scientist Robert Holt – Jono’s mentor. “Jono designed, built and tested a circuit to monitor the charge level of the Island’s 48V battery bank and to provide start/stop control to the hydrogen generator.
“The system has a lot of potential and could be used to optimise energy systems in other environments,” says Robert Holt. “Callaghan Innovation aims to inspire and motivate current and future generations of New Zealand innovators and help fill skills shortages in the science, engineering and technology industries so it is excellent if we can support young engineers of this calibre to complete a practical tertiary education.”
WelTec’s Head of Engineering Graham Carson says, “At the same time as Jono studied his New Zealand Diploma in Engineering and Bachelor of Engineering Technology at WelTec he was a dedicated student who set himself high standards to achieve his future goals. He is an inspiration to anyone thinking of studying engineering. It is very rewarding for all the engineering staff at WelTec to see Jono’s hard work pay off and for him to move his career to the next level and join the NZAF.”
Background
The Wellington School of Engineering is the region's sole tertiary education institute providing Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering degrees and graduate diplomas. Our graduates have won national recognition for their industry led project work. We are proud of our specialisms in Water Engineering and Mechatronics. The School has undergone a $3M makeover and was officially opened on 26 March.
