Two teams from The University of Alabama achieved top placements in the 2025-26 Solar District Cup Competition organized by the U.S. Department of Energy.
The Roll Tide Power team placed second in the Clemson University division, and the Crimson Solar team placed third in the University of Wisconsin-Madison division. Dr. Dawen Li, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, advised both teams.
“As the faculty advisor, I taught student teams about background information on solar power systems and guided them through the design,” said Li.
The Solar District Cup featured 47 collegiate teams that competed to design and model a distributed energy system for campus or district use. Students were guided by solar industry experts from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to produce conceptual designs, financial analysis and project development in a solar-plus storage proposal.
Sixteen UA students contributed across both teams, working the entire 2025-26 academic year to present their solutions to a panel of judges in April. These interdisciplinary teams brought together students with expertise spanning a wide range of subject areas. Participants represented academic disciplines across the Styslinger College of Engineering and the Barefield College of Arts & Sciences.
Roll Tide Power (2nd place)
- Hugh Beeler, mechanical engineering
- Tyler Foster, mechanical engineering
- Carlos Lee, mechanical engineering
- Isaac Patton, mechanical engineering
- Alexander Barr, electrical and computer engineering
- Jacob Carroll, electrical and computer engineering
- Trinity Tanner, electrical and computer engineering
- Peter Udenze, electrical and computer engineering
- Saeid Vaezsis, electrical and computer engineering
- Todd Pak, biology
- Keyton Kodatt, chemistry, physics and math triple major
Crimson Solar (3rd place)
- Hudson Bailey, electrical and computer engineering
- Porter Buchheit, electrical and computer engineering
- Evalina Capece, electrical and computer engineering
- Anna Beth Icke, electrical and computer engineering
- Andrew Salmon, electrical and computer engineering
- Joshua Sanders, electrical and computer engineering
- Peter Udenze, graduate student mentor
Using industry-standard software to create designs with real-world implementation potential, each team developed several drafts before presenting a final model.
“Working with the Roll Tide Power team showed me that the strongest engineering solutions are built through collaboration,” said Trinity Tanner. “Every team member brought different perspectives and ideas that strengthened our final project while also accomplishing many tasks on a strict timeline. The understanding of the importance of teamwork will be invaluable in my future career.”
Tanner’s work focused on early-stage project development and writing, where she assisted with initial troubleshooting and planning for the solar panel system by testing numerous parameters, models, batteries and configurations within the software to determine the most effective combination for the team. “While we did not place first, I am incredibly proud of our team and the work we put into this competition,” said Anna Beth Icke, a member of the Crimson Solar team. “Representing The University of Alabama at a national competition was an honor, and placing third among such strong collegiate competitors was an accomplishment we’re very proud of.”
Icke served as the subsystem lead for conceptual design and used HelioScope, a commercial solar software, to create several iterations across campus rooftops. During the team’s presentation, Icke highlighted expansion opportunities for long-term development.