Inspirations - Be sure to write what inspired you, what you learned, how you built your project, and the challenges you faced. Format your story in Markdown.

We are a group of high school students at Lake Zurich Senior High School, a Northwest suburb in Chicago. One day we experienced a blackout and it served as a stark reminder of how difficult and disastrous it is for some people to live. Its only one day for us but a lifetime of hardships that they endure on the daily basis for them. The absence of energy we can’t properly store food and we wouldn’t have easy access to plumbing or gas. In those 24 hours the frustrations that came with not having access made us realize how much we take these necessities for granted. It was now that we realized the potential of computer science to incorporate our skills and experiences in a way that would make a positive impact on the world around us, particularly for those in need. We believe creating even simple programs can go a long way if they are utilized and developed properly, and we aim to use this to make an impact as high school students, in spite of high school students generally perceived as having a lack of opportunities to change the world at a large scale. However, we are determined to challenge this notion. Coding this power grid simulation is a way to gain deeper understanding of the obstacles faced by less privileged communities and communicate our willingness to assist them though our personal experiences. Even though our background may not mirror those we are attempting to support, we aspire to make a difference in their lives. Through our dedication and the skills we’ve acquired we hope to improve the quality of life for those in need.

What it does

This program is a simulation with different independent variables: Type of power grid arrangement (Centralized, decentralized, or distributed. These are drawn in the turtle window) Quality of infrastructure (how likely the grid is going to stay up after a storm) Likeness of a storm happening (this depends on where you live) Demand of energy (depends on the ratio of how many people live in your area to how much energy is available)

The grid is then drawn and some calculations are made.

The result of the storm is calculated and whether or not you infrastructure would stay up. Infrastructure staying up prevents the power from going out. Depending on the demand of energy, a choice is made on whether or not your community requires a significant amount of power. Different outcomes are possible depending on what happens to your community.

How we built it

First we began with a thorough ideation phase to fit the prompt based on our own personal experiences, then after careful consideration we filtered those and chose the most promising idea. Then we implemented the solution through code written in python mainly utilizing the tkinter module and widgets to make a sophisticated and user friendly interface. We also used the turtle module to display the different power grid arrangements in a separate window.

Challenges we ran into

Making an optimal, viable, and realistic solution for our problem after countless attempts.

Time management/availability /Collaboration /Ideas /Focus /Consistency /Productivity /Efficiency

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Having a fully functioning end product with the purpose of possibly sharing knowledge with the world, especially those who may not already have something in place. Something more specific that we’re proud of in general is that it is scalable as it can accommodate for both small rural communities and larger urban areas, catering to a wide range of needs. Also, it is innovative as it showcases technologies and methodologies incorporated into the project, therefore positioning it as solution in the field of sustainable energy management.

What we learned

We had to research substantial amounts of information and in the process we learned material regarding centralized, decentralized, and distributed systems.

What's next for Power Grid Simulation

Forming more complex and advanced algorithms tailored towards professional use ideally would be next. For example, we could create a largely customizable program capable of adapting to 3rd world countries, because they don’t have as much much access to power, the program would be able to provide valuable insights and guidance on how to manage their communities while ensuring a safe space for all citizens. Additionally, we could implement guidance for authority figures who ultimately make the decision on behalf of their community.

Built With

• python
• tkinter