Project Smart Fan wins $100,000
Five student finalist teams from colleges and universities across the U.S. took part in a fast-paced virtual pitch competition for the 10X Grand Prize, a $100,000 award for the most innovative and scalable clean cooling solution. The inaugural Grand Prize was awarded to the Computer Science Capstone team from Northern Arizona University, who presented Project Smart Fan, which leverages fluctuating temperatures and the night-day temperature difference to bring in cool air when it’s hot, or hot air when it’s cool, redefining affordable cooling for underserved communities. Northern Arizona University will receive $100,000 to advance the project, and their community partner, Habitat for Humanity, will receive an additional $50,000 to support implementation of the solution in 40 starter homes in Flagstaff, Arizona.