The objective of this project is to design a comprehensive viewing area of the solar array on Orchard Road that included educational material, an engaging design, and the capability to stream array energy data for public viewing and university research.
Sponsored By: Alternative Energy Development Group
Team Members
Rebecca Fuhrman | Shlok Kulshrestha | Sean Saltzgaber | Patrick Schulze | Michael Spero | Robert Stafford | | | | | |
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Project Summary
Overview
In recent years, Penn State has committed to decreasing its emissions rate over the coming decades. One means of doing so has been the purchase of solar photovoltaic power. The university has agreed to a 25-year power purchase agreement with Alternative Energy Development Group (AEDG) to buy all the output from a 2-megawatt array located northeast of the school’s University Park campus in State College, PA. This renewable energy consumption will provide Penn State with 1% of its entire electricity appetite – a small but encouraging step towards its goals. To further both entities’ missions of sustainability, increased solar outreach and education of the Pennsylvanian public is needed.
Objectives
Objectives
– Design a natural and engaging viewing area overlooking Orchard Road array
– Educate the viewing public on renewable energy and the related efforts of the university
– Transmit real-time energy production data for public interaction and university use
Approach
– Lined up university goals with sponsor goals for synergy and focusing component selection
– Customer needs via AHP matrix prioritizing: education, O&M, data collection, accessibility
– Viewing area design volunteered by OPP due to lack of landscaping expertise on team
– Educational display modeled after campus signage, with paired website for additional info
– EnergyCAP used as inspiration for online dashboard for energy data streaming on website
– Data from a PSU pyranometer system to be manipulated to represent array production data
– Educational display created in Adobe InDesign; dashboard in MATLAB; website on sites.psu
– Engagement, education, and aesthetics of website and dashboard tested via user survey
– Average of surveys found ~80% educational/engagement rating overall from users
– Unable to physically test viewing area or pyranometer system design due to COVID-19
Outcomes
Outcomes
– Total project materials cost of $19,560
– Project design centered around unifying university outreach by proposing three components to advance university goals collaboratively
– Educational material proven effective by both user survey and Sustainability Institute
– Project designed the base off of which a real viewing area design and accompanying virtual environment could be explored when investigated further by the university and the sponsor
– Further investigation required to prove security of placing energy data and dashboard onto public site to prevent compromised information