Energy Impact Simulator

Inspiration

I noticed that most CS students, gamers, everyday tech users don't think about the environmental impact that code and algorithms can have. A poor algorithm or a full-blown gaming setup can waste a lot of energy. So, I wanted to make this problem visible and teach users to be more aware.

What it does

My Energy Impact Simulator is an interactive educational sim that teaches users how different hardware and software affect energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. It provides a hands-on and gamified learning experience that helps users experiment and discover how different technologies have big environmental consequences.

The simulator uses the following calculation model:

$$\text{Estimated Energy (kWh)} = \text{Base Energy} \times \text{Hardware Factor} \times \text{Software Factor}$$

Where: $$\text{Hardware Factor} = \text{CPU} \times \text{GPU} \times \text{Memory}$$

$$\text{Software Factor} = \text{Algorithm Efficiency} \times \text{Processing Frequency}$$

$$\text{Base Energy} = 50 \text{ kWh}$$

And CO₂ emissions are calculated as:

$$\text{CO₂ Emissions (kg)} = \text{Estimated Energy} \times 0.4$$

This represents approximately 0.4 kg of CO₂ per kWh, which is the average for fossil fuel-based electricity generation.

How I built it

I built this using .NET MAUI for cross-platform compatibility and C# for the core logic in Visual Studio 2022. A lot of my foundation came from my App Development class at school, but I pushed myself to learn new MAUI features like custom slider controls, gradient backgrounds, and dynamic color feedback systems.

Challenges I ran into

Real-world energy calculations are very complex, so some challenges I faced were trying to reflect and model the impacts by simplifying the model. I had to make sure it was educational and easy to understand for users while still being accurate and not misleading. Finding the right balance between technical precision and accessibility took multiple iterations.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Although I worked with .NET MAUI before, there were still many things that I had to learn in terms of the UI and making it fun for the user. I'm proud that I challenged myself with this project and learned new things while creating something that could benefit the environment and increase awareness for people. The real-time visual feedback system—where colors and numbers change instantly as you adjust sliders—creates those "aha!" moments that make learning stick.

What I've learned

As I've mentioned, I taught myself many new features of .NET MAUI like how to use the sliders and create a functional app. Additionally, while doing research for this project, I've certainly learned more about energy usage and carbon footprint, and ways I could change my own lifestyle to do my part in contributing to the environment.

What's next for Energy Impact Simulator

In the future, I'd like to add more scenarios, expand the hardware and software variables used in the simulator to encompass different types of tech, and workshop the formulas used to better reflect real-world energy calculations.

Built With

• .net
• .netmaui
• c#
• maui
• visual-studio