THE ALLEYNIAN 708 | OUT OF THE ORDINARY
THE ALLEYNIAN 708 | OUT OF THE ORDINARY
OPINION, INTERVIEWS & FEATURES
THE SKY’S THE LIMIT
Piotr Lazarek (Year 12) was recently named runner-up in the Senior Engineering Category of the prestigious Big Bang Competition, as well as winning the Young Scientific Instrument Maker Award for his innovative battery management system for autonomous solar-powered aeroplanes. But the journey towards success was not always an easy one, as he explains
year ago, when I learned that I had gained a place to study at Dulwich College, I was both excited and terrified in equal measure. I feared that the challenges of the language barrier and immersion in a completely new environment might be overwhelming. However, I settled in well, and a few months ago, I decided to throw myself in at the deep end and enter the largest science competition in the UK. A The story of how I ended up designing my solar-powered battery management system goes back at least three years. During this time, I had been developing scientific projects in the area of environmental engineering. Then, early this year, I was lucky enough to meet the renowned scientist and adventurer Bertrand Piccard, who designed a solar-powered aeroplane and flew it around the world with no fuel, using only renewable energy sources. His story inspired me: I decided that I would try to create my own autonomous solar-powered aeroplane. Initially, I thought that it couldn’t be that hard. Unsurprisingly, I discovered that I was wrong: after a while, I found that I was stuck, because I couldn’t find any devices on the market which could deal efficiently with solar power management. Without such a device, I knew I would be unable to develop my project further. Soon, though, I realised that I wasn’t alone. Researching the matter, I discovered that many other students have tried to develop such projects, but, facing the same problems that I had faced, they had been forced to give up on developing their own solar-powered aeroplanes. This information was a game-changer for me: I had a feeling that I had found a niche! I decided to reverse the situation and use my biggest problem to my advantage. I started work on a Battery Management System for Solar Powered UAVs – a device which could significantly simplify the prototyping process for solar-powered aeroplanes.
My device is extremely small and lightweight: it is about 5cm long by 3cm wide and roughly the same weight as three and a half sheets of A4 paper. It has been designed to withstand charging power of up to about 150 Watts, with its efficiency reaching above 95 per cent. I estimate that it would cost between £50 and £70 per device to mass-produce. I was delighted when the project won the Young Scientific Instrument Maker Award, thanks to which, if not for the pandemic, I would have had the honour I have had so much support from so many people at the College, but would like to thank Dr McIlwaine and Mr Pelly in particular, for making this possible for me. Despite my initial fears, they made me feel at home. If it hadn’t been for them, I definitely wouldn’t have had the courage to take part in this competition. Right now, I am working on the business plan for my device. Before the lockdown, I travelled to China in order to meet Philip Rowse, the CTO of the company producing the best-known commercial autopilots in the world. He was very engaged with my idea and has offered to work with me on making it a reality. of representing Great Britain at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. In the future, I plan to set up a company and embark on the collaboration with Philip Rowse. There is still a long way to go, and I am aware of that. This is why I am now working with a brilliant programmer and a bright law student. We hope that by the end of the summer we will have a next- generation prototype, and a company set up and ready to go!
DON’T RUSH TO THINK OF YOUR ROLE AS INCONSEQUENTIAL, JUST BECAUSE IT’S SMALL
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