Photovoltaics Lewis Environmental Center and Kent State

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PhotovoltaicsLewis Environmental Center and Kent
State

• Jeremy Greenwood
• Environmental Technology III
• Prof. Adil Sharag-Eldin, Ph.D.
• May 1,2003

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Background-Lewis Center

• Design process began in 1995
• It continued through 1998
• Main objectives were to create a building that
  functioned as an integrated system.
• A design team composed of experts in the fields
  of education, design, renewable energy, and
  current technologies was brought in to design the
  building.
• A group of students and David Orr researched
  alternative technologies and design strategies
  and prepared an initial proposal for the
  building.
• Students designed projects to further look into
  what specific systems and products the new
  building should incorporate
• Once preliminary designs for the building were
  laid out, more engineers and planners were
  brought on board to fine-tune the sketches and
  begin modeling the projected performance of the
  proposed building.

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Sustainable Systems

• The building is oriented along an east-west axis
  to optimize passive solar heating and lighting
  (include overhanging eaves and shading trusses ).
  
• The materials used for construction were selected
  because of their green characteristics.
• Thermal mass in concrete floors and walls
• Living machine to clean all of its wastewater
• Daylighting and motion dectors in rooms to reduce
  the lighting load on the building
• The heating and cooling system is a geo-thermal
  system
• The Center has 4671 square feet (434 square
  meters) of photovoltaic panels installed on its
  roof. The Centers PV array will be the focus of
  my research.

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Why study PVs

• They are.
• Sustainable
• Non-polluting
• Not dangerous to people or the planet
• High-grade energy useful for any purpose
• Silent
• Supplies power where needed
• Available at peak demand times
• Can be integrated into the building
• Highly reliable
• No moving parts
• Little to no maintenance
• Modular
• Low operating costs

• The reason why I chose to study PVs is simple,
  they are the closest things to the ideal source
  of energy that can be produced today. An ideal
  energy source has several characteristics that
  make them Earth friendly.

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The other reason why I wanted to study PV is that
they can be integrated into the design of new
buildings and they can be added on to existing
buildings with little or no visual changes to the
building. There are four major areas in a
building where PV can be integrated the walls,
glazing, ancillary structures, and the roof. Most
of the areas that I have identified on campus as
possible locations for PV arrays are on the roofs
of campus buildings.
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PV background In 1839, French physicist Edmond
Becquerel discovered the photoelectric effect.
Which is what happens when sunlight strikes
certain materials, such as silicon, setting
electrons in motion. These mobile electrons can
be drawn off as electricity. Then in 1954, Bell
Laboratories developed the first crystalline
silicon cell. Little progress was made until
1958 when the space program needed reliable and
lightweight source of electricity for its
satellites. There are two types of photovoltaic
systems. The first is the stand-alone
system. The second is the grid-connected PV
system. There are two primary types of PV cells
available. They are crystalline-silicon(mono and
poly) and thin film.
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All systems are most productive when the modules
are perpendicular to the noonday sun. So in
winter, modules should be at the angle of the
buildings latitude plus approximately 15 degrees
and during the summer the ideal angle is the
buildings latitude minus 15 degrees. For example,
Kents latitude is 41.154 degrees N. So for the
ideal winter angle you would take 41 degrees and
add 15 degrees to get 56 degrees and to get the
ideal summer angle you would take 41 degrees and
subtract 15 degrees to get 26 degrees.
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• Methods/Objectives-
• - I researched everything that I could on PVs
• - I used the monthly averages of the PV output
  for the past year
• I calculated the PV cells efficiency rating by
  comparing the actual output with the square
  footage of the cells, allowable watts per square
  foot (estimation number due to the type of PV
  cell used), and the possible maximum output for
  the cells.
• I used the average solar radiation for the Akron
  area and used it to compare it to the PV output
  data.
• Then I located possible locations where PV cells
  can be installed on campus .
• The last thing that I need to do is gather
  information dealing with the actual costs
  incurred with the purchase, set-up, and maintance
  of a PV cell arrays.

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• I intended to estimate the environmental
  concerns/costs, but information on the effects on
  humans and the planet is hard to find and no one
  will give me numbers for disposal of waste
  materials, the closest information that I was
  able to get was an environmental disclosure
  report from First Energy.

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Hypothesis-  My hypothesis is that photovoltaic
cells are an environmentally friendly, reliable
power source that Kent State University should
employ, despite initial costs, to help reduce its
energy consumption thereby helping to save the
environment and resources for the university.  
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On average, the sun delivers 1,000 watts
(1kilowatt) per square meter at noon on a clear
day. This is defined as full sun and is the
benchmark by which modules are rated and
compared. PV modules do not convert 100 of the
energy that strikes them into electricity.
Current commercial technology averages about 11
to 15 conversion efficiency for
monocrystalline-silicon and polycrystalline-silico
n cells, and 6 to 8 for amorphous (thin film)
cells.
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Lewis Center's PV Efficiency PV cells - 4671
SQ.FT Max. Output - 60 KW mono-crystal silicon
- 12 W/FT2 PV energy produced - 59518KWh
56.51
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Existing campus -
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Major open/green areas -
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PV locations -
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Conclusions Kent State should invest in PV
technologies despite there initial setup costs.
Besides being the only energy source to have no
significant impact on the environment,as time
goes on, stricter government regulations
concerning emissions and waste will be applied to
the energy companies, driving the price of energy
up over the coming years. The most of the spaces
that I am proposing to be used for the PVs are
the roof tops of existing buildings currently
wasted space. So why not help to save the
environment and reduce the Universitys energy
consumption? Under current efficiencies and
pricing, the cost of energy over a 20-year period
is between 20 and 30 cents per kilowatt-hour,
which is greater than the average current price
of 4.3 to 5 cents per kilowatt-hour. But, when
the environmental impact is added into the price,
the cost is well worth it.