From the North Carolina mountains to the skyscrapers of Atlanta, young people across the Southeast become more interested in the clean energy field every day. In an age group where 70% are extremely or very worried about climate change, pursuing a career in the clean energy field can represent a means of collective action, a way to make a difference. Others are attracted to the field’s rapid job growth. Whatever the reason, young people are finding their role in the clean energy transition thanks to a growing presence of education and workforce training at colleges or universities, through career technical training programs, or elsewhere.  

Located in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia, the Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is one place where students can learn about and engage with innovative, sustainable clean energy technologies to prepare for entering the field after graduation. From 971 kilowatts of solar energy capacity to 30 efficient and cost-saving LEED-certified buildings, Georgia Tech is constantly working toward its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, as identified in its Climate Action Plan (CAP). The CAP not only guides the university’s decision-making but also provides inspiration and opportunity for students wanting to make a difference. Such is the case for student organizations like ElectrifyGT.

Members of ElectrifyGT pose for a photo on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta. From left to right: Leonard Riby, Zachary Szanti, Sean Zhong, Khim Sasipa Viravan, Victory Ekpekurede, Myer Khan, Rohan Datta.

Electrify GT

ElectrifyGT is a student-led organization at Georgia Tech that focuses on creating decarbonization strategies for carbon-intensive polluting infrastructure on campus, mainly through electrification. They do so by collaborating with departments across campus. 

“Sometimes they reach out to us, sometimes we propose projects to them. But in both cases, we receive data that we perform carbon accounting and financial analysis on,” says Khim Sasipa Viravan, ElectrifyGT’s president and a second-year electrical engineering major at Georgia Tech. 

With their analysis, members of ElectrifyGT write up a formal report and submit it back to the Georgia Tech administration, which ultimately decides whether to do the final implementation. 

“We’re like a sustainable consulting club, per se,” says Khim. 

Since forming four years ago, the club has been growing every year. With around 50 members and five project teams, this is their largest cohort yet. 

The club’s archive of past projects spans working to electrify the university’s hundred-year-old heating plant, electrifying everything from landscaping equipment and clothes dryers, to vehicle fleets like campus police cars and the university’s after-hours rideshare service, the Stingerette. Future projects include upgrading campus elevators with the regenerative braking mechanism used in electric vehicles (EVs), helping the university’s health center find a less carbon-intensive way to sterilize masks, and more. Project focuses range from mechanical to biochemical, to ensure students of all majors can find a way to get involved that interests them. 

Khim says the club’s goal is to electrify all infrastructure on campus with a positive return on investment in the long run. For a club with two consecutive first prizes in the Ray C. Anderson Carbon Reduction Challenge and features in multiple research journals, this goal feels ever more realistic. 

“Being young people at Georgia Tech, at such a technical institution, we believe that we can do something,” she says. “We definitely have the skills to be a part of decreasing carbon emissions. And we’re motivated by our campus climate action plan.” 

Giving campus police cruisers the electric edge

ElectrifyGT’s first-ever project was to electrify the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) patrol car fleet in 2021. With just three members, the club was approached by the campus police chief, who wanted to explore alternative mobility. The crux of the project? Police cars are “always-on” vehicles – they’re almost always idling during service, which makes them a prime candidate for carbon reduction through electrification. Plus, electric vehicles’ high speeds and acceleration times allow them to outrun even most muscle cars, making them even more desirable. ElectrifyGT developed a plan of recommendations based on research and the data provided to them by the GTPD, who accepted the plan.

Based on ElectrifyGT’s recommendation, the GTPD ordered three Ford Pro Mustang Mach-E AWD Pilot Vehicles, which arrived in late 2023. Rohan Datta, ElectrifyGT’s VP of External Affairs, was the club’s president at the time and felt lucky to unveil the three electric vehicles.

“It was so cool to welcome the cars to campus, see them get wrapped, and actually test drive them – see how they work in real life,” he says.

Electric patrol cars belonging to the Georgia Tech Police Department charge on campus.

Today, current club president Khim works with the GTPD to collect data on the vehicles’ rollout, comparing their plan’s expectations to the reality of implementation. Can the car’s battery run for 12 hours a day? Can police equipment be stored in the front trunk, or “frunk,” of the car? How do you handle an EV vehicle fire if it’s difficult to put out with water? These are questions the club is examining and learning to maneuver, and now with a larger member count, they’re able to have a specific team that focuses on this data analysis. 

“This is a really exciting time for the club because it’s one of the first projects where we’re actually playing a role in the rollout and execution of the car, not just the planning and recommendations,” says Rohan.

A rideshare service that’s safe for students and the environment

The excitement – and fleet electrification – doesn’t stop with patrol cars. In the fall of 2023, ElectrifyGT proposed electrifying the fleet of vans used for Georgia Tech’s free, after-hours rideshare service, the Stingerettes. The proposal was made to the transportation department, which agreed to provide the data necessary to map out an electrification plan. 

Similar to patrol cars, the vans are usually idling, but their average usage is much harder to track, as some nights are busier than others. Despite such hurdles, ElectrifyGT members have been able to estimate that switching all the gas Stingerette vans to Ford E-Transit vans would save the university $48,600 in annual costs and reduce carbon emissions by 80 metric tons every year. The transportation department accepted the project and has already electrified two of the 8 Stingerette vans. The new electric vans are ready to provide pilot data to the club as they continue to do a rollout performance analysis for the Stingerette fleet.

One of the new electric Stingerette vans on Georgia Tech’s campus.

On a roll to electrify the campus fleet with federal tax credits

Khim and Rohan say financial incentives like tax credits from the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are key to their proposals, as now is the time to take advantage of opportunities like the IRA that make projects more economically feasible. As part of the Stingerette electrification project, ElectrifyGT provided information on the $3,750 tax credit on new Ford E-Transit vans and how Georgia Tech, as a tax-exempt public 501(c)(3) university, can apply for direct pay. 

Here, the diversity of ElectrifyGT’s membership was able to shine. “We found out about the IRA because one team member was a public policy major, and she proposed to us environmental legislation like the IRA, she was able to actually introduce it to us,” says Khim, who joined the club as the Stingerette Fleet Electrification project lead her freshman year.  

Technical Training: ElectrifyGT Spark

As they’ve grown, ElectrifyGT has developed three types of membership options: general body members, project members who join project teams based on their interests, and ElectrifyGT Spark members. 

For those interested in sharpening their technical skills before getting involved in project planning – and ultimately, before entering the workforce after graduation – ElectrifyGT Spark is a training program that meets weekly to learn more about carbon accounting and financial analysis. Last year, EGT Spark won the Student Government Association Leadership Development Award, showcasing their dedication to helping every member of ElectrifyGT strengthen their confidence and leadership. 

Where clean energy meets community

Rohan, ElectrifyGT’s former president, grew up in Atlanta. During his first year on campus, he not only wanted to make his mark there, but also find a way to give back to his city. He says it’s hard to pitch the environmental and social benefits of clean energy, even though he sees that is what will benefit his community the most. Instead, he’s noticed sharing the economic benefits of clean energy helps get people on board, so he wants to share that with others.

He recalls getting involved as a chemical and biomolecular engineering major after meeting an ElectrifyGT executive team member his freshman year. 

“The guy asked me, ‘Do you want to make an impact on campus?’ Yes, absolutely.” 

For Khim, who is originally from Bangkok, Thailand, Georgia Tech isn’t so close to home, but opportunities like ElectrifyGT have enabled her to combine her passions and interests and have given her a community in Atlanta.

“In high school, I was involved in a sustainability organization, and since I’m an electrical engineering major, ElectrifyGT is the perfect club for me because we’re trying to achieve sustainability through electrification,” she says, adding that she is inspired to go the “business route” in the future thanks to being involved in ElectrifyGT. 

Khim adds, “As young people, living in this ever-changing world, we know what we want, and we bring a different perspective than all of these older lawmakers. It’s important to advocate for those perspectives, and also for the skills that we bring.”

The feeling that both Rohan and Khim get when seeing the impact they’ve had on campus is unlike any other. 

“In the past three years I’ve been in the club, I’ve realized that it is one of the few places where students can make an impact on campus that’s tangible and positive. That’s what drew me in, that’s what keeps me involved,” says Rohan.

Not every project yields results: sometimes there’s no money in the budget or the school administration isn’t interested at the time. But Rohan says even in those cases, members of ElectrifyGT are still passionate about the learning process and motivated by the projects they’ve already accomplished.

“We aren’t the biggest organization on campus, but it’s just that,” says Khim, “Since we are smaller, everyone plays their part, and we’re very efficient that way.” 

Get involved in the Clean Energy Generation

All of us alive today and experiencing the impacts of pollution-driven climate change are members of the Clean Energy Generation, and we all deserve safer, healthier communities and a bright future we can look forward to. No matter who we are, where we come from, or what our skills and abilities are, when we work together towards a common goal, we can and will drive change. 

We invite you to get involved in the Clean Energy Generation if you haven’t already, to find resources to share with your school or community, hear more clean energy success stories from members across the Southeast, and remember that you’re not alone in the fight for a healthier, more sustainable future. against climate change.

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ElectrifyGT: Sparking Clean Energy Leaders, One Campus Collaboration at a Time