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Ranjeev Mahtani Looks for Alternative Energy Solutions to Panigram’s Power Requirements

I’m absolutely thrilled about coming out here to Bangladesh as an intern for Panigram Resort. My mission here is to develop and propose a comprehensive and sustainable solution for all of the resort’s power needs. To do this I’ll be assessing the expected electrical power demands of the resort and researching local as well as foreign suppliers of renewable energy technologies. In addition to this, my job will require me to physically survey the resort site in Jessore to determine what types of renewable power systems are most appropriate for that environment.

Cornell Intern Ranjeev Mahtani

The change from the college environment in Ithaca to a developing nation like Bangladesh is something I’ve been told will be hard to get used to. Personally, I look forward to the change as it takes me closer to my roots. I’m a Sri Lankan citizen, with an Indian heritage, but who’s never experienced either country for longer than a month’s vacation. Those vacations were always wonderful, and I’ve long looked forward to an opportunity to reside within the culture of a developing nation for an extended period. So here I am in Bangladesh with seven months ahead of me to experience and enjoy a culture that is closer to my own than what I experience on a daily basis, and to work on a great project that I am whole-heartedly enthusiastic about.

I’m currently a student at Cornell University, studying mechanical engineering with a focus on energy engineering and a minor in applied economics and management. My main academic and career interest is in sustainable energy and how to implement it as the primary means of power provision worldwide. That said, interning at the Panigram as an energy engineering intern should be a great real world learning application for me. The best part is that at the same time I’ll be able to replace a harsh Ithaca winter and a semester’s worth of classes with tropical goodness, subcontinental culture, and maybe even the chance to play some cricket!