After completing her Bachelor of Science in the field of Mechanical Engineering, Calene Treichel joined the Solar Energy Systems Lab in 2018. The opportunity to fully explore the various facets of sustainable energy building integration had always interested Calene, guiding the direction of her masters research on solar assisted heat pump water heaters.
Through the experimental characterization of performance for heat pump water heaters, specifically in terms of power draw, heat rejection to the water and air cooling capacity, Calene was able to simulate the integration of solar assistance. Various simulations were preformed using data from regions across Canada and the United States to illustrate performance variations in terms of energy greenhouse gas emissions, and economics.
As a member of the CABER team Calene’s research has a focus on Micro-encapsulated phase change materials within common building materials for increased comfort and decreased space conditioning loads.