Christopher Genco, Jr. has focused his Capstone Thesis Project on technology developed through industry-sponsor Kanzo. His reflections are below.
An ESTEEM thesis project is tough work. 20 hours/week of thesis is definitely hard and not for everyone. However, there is something rewarding about seeing the product you are working to bring to market being applied in the real world. My name is Christopher Genco, and I am working with Kanzo, Inc. to bring to market a polycarbonate solar rack.
Working with Kanzo on one of ESTEEM's coveted industry-sponsored projects has given me complete exposure to the solar industry. Moreover being an intern there 5 days a week has provided me the depth of understanding to know what testing is necessary to ensure stability in a solar rack.
Kanzo has a unique relationship with Inovateus Solar LLC, an EPC and solar distributor based in South Bend, IN. The concept of Kanzo was developed by employees at Inovateus Solar and the technology was determined valuable enough to become its own company. Inovateus Solar allows Kanzo to use some of its space rent free as it starts-up. The added experience of working with Inovateus Solar has allowed me to enrich my thesis by adding depth as to the intricacies of selling a solar rack to EPCs and distributors.
The opportunities that Kanzo has granted me have been enormous. I was able to travel with the company to Las Vegas to the Solar Power International 2014 show to represent the company and do market research. I have participated in important calls for testing the product, have my first real experience with the company be a multi-million dollar negotiation, and even been granted the opportunity to tour the rooftop of a 122 kW install using Kanzo.