Rodolfo Peon, ALRS Ph.D. Student and 2017 Carson Scholar Awardee

Haury fellow Rodolfo Peon is studying the integration of high-concentration solar photovoltaics, or HCPVs, with desalination technology to provide communities on the Navajo Nation with drinking water and electricity simultaneously. HCPVs use more efficient solar cells than conventional photovoltaics, resulting in the possibility of collecting heat for household applications. Peon, a doctoral student in Arid Lands Resource Sciences (ALRS), a GIDP, also is exploring environmentally friendly ways to use generated brine for agricultural purposes.

Rodolfo completed a Master of Science degree in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Calgary in Canada in 2006, specializing in Renewable Energy and sustainable Development. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Hermosillo Institute of Technology in Mexico in 2001.

“I am just part of a good team working at the Navajo Nation, and it is the multidisciplinary of the team what makes it good; everyone is expert about something. I want to thank professors Ardeth Barnhart, Vasiliki Karanikola, Bob Arnold, Stuart Marsh, Roger Angel, project partners and all my colleagues for allowing me to work with them; it has been such a great, learning and rewarding experience”.

Photo: Left to right Hua Xiang, Rodolfo Peon, Dr. Bob Arnold, Bob Seaman, Alex Chernoloz and Chrstopher Yazzie outside Solar Desalination Pilot Demonstration Plant at the Navajo Nation.

Integration of Desalination Unit with a High Concentration Photovoltaic Concentration Unit, both technologies developed at UA. Photo: Rodolfo Peon

Aside from being an ALRS student, Rodolfo Peon is a University of Sonora employee and member of the Hermosillo Solar Platform Research and Development Team since 2009. He has lead rural electrification projects in Mexico and overseas. Rodolfo Peon is also interested in the deployment of large scale PV plants in the Sonoran Desert and the use of Solar Technology in the Water, Energy, Food and Transportation sectors.

Rodolfo Peon has held various work positions in engineering, research and development:

2009 – to date   R&D Engineer - Hermosillo Solar Platform, University of Sonora, Mexico

2008                    Project Leader – Advanced Engineering R&D Centre, Mexico  

2007                    Project Manager – Philips Innovation Centre, France  

2003 – to date   R&D Engineer, Volunteer – LUTW Foundation, Canada

2002                    Research Assistant – Optics Research Centre, Mexico   

2001                    Lab Technician – Sonora Avionics, Mexico