At our visit to TITAN Group’s Kamari Plant, we learned about the process of making cement from the plant manager. Many of the steps involved creating and utilizing clinker, a material that gives cement many of its properties. While clinker is always a necessary ingredient in cement, its production is the only part of the process with a significant carbon footprint. With this in mind, the plant manager described how their chemical engineers have been looking for ways to use other materials as alternatives to clinker, reducing its concentration in cement from 90% to 53%. As carbon neutrality becomes the standard for businesses, engineers like myself will be tasked with tackling similar problems by improving upon the status quo for sustainability, even when existing systems are already very effective. Though there can be some growing pains, researching solutions to these challenges can help the environment while also expanding our understanding of our field of study. In this case, it allows cement companies to develop a broader understanding of the materials used to create cement.

As an electrical engineer, I found our visit to the solar panel project very inspiring. I hear a lot in the U.S. about data center projects placing strain on surrounding power grids, so it was refreshing to hear that even a large development like Athens International Airport was able to sustain itself entirely with its own power generation. The plot allotted for the future airport development was massive, and the solar panel field alone stretched roughly the length of a runway. Our guide said that the solar panels generated 100 megawatts of power for the facility each day. For reference, the average Greek household uses about 4 megawatt-hours of electricity per year. This output is actually more than the facility requires, allowing excess power to be supplied back to the grid. Based on what I saw at this site, it is clear to me that it is possible for even large projects like Athens International Airport to rely entirely on renewable energy while still operating efficiently. In the future, I would like to work with similar technology because, from what I saw, it can be beneficial not only for people using the airport, but for anyone connected to the grid.