SOLAR RESEARCH AT UMD Research: Stage 0 : Stage 1 : Stage 2 : Education : Minnesota Power: 30 W. Superior St. Duluth, MN Participants: Frank Fredrickson, Dean Talbot, Steve Lent Minnesota Power has made a substantial contribution through its Conservation Improvement Program to start this research. Monitoring the Existing Solar Array This educational stage provides an opportunity for UMD ECE students to develop an educational website monitoring the Solar Array at Malosky Stadium The goals of Stage 0 are for UMD ECE Students to: - Monitor the existing 5.8 kW solar panel at Malosky Stadium - Set up a weather station to monitor ambient conditions - Archive the weather data and solar panel data - Develop an interactive website to display the data as an educational tool Results: The weather station is complete. The solar panel data and weather station data are being collected and archived. The interactive website is still in the process of being developed. Website: Summary of Solar Output DataValue Electric Energy Produced November 15 - May 1, KiloWatt-Hours CO2 Emission Reduction November 15 – May 1, Tons Average Efficiency of the Panels12% Concentrated Photo-Voltaic (CPV) Research In Stage 1, three additional solar panels capable of tracking the sun will be added to the roof of the stadium. Two of the panels will have mirrored plastic film surrounding the solar cells to concentrate sunlight, doubling or quadrupling the effective surface area of the panel. The third panel will have solar cells without concentration as a control. Research Questions: - Are CPV systems well suited to Northern Latitude locations? - What is the optimal concentration, balancing increased output against the loss of efficiency due to rise in operating temperature? - What is the Cost/Benefit ratio of optimized low-power solar concentration in northern latitudes? This stage, and any subsequent stages, are still seeking funding. Combined Solar Thermal and Solar Electric Systems Stage 2 research would attempt to maximize both the light energy and heat energy in sunlight. A heat exchanger with either a glycol or phase change coolant is attached to the back of a 4X CPV panel. Optimum temperature for generating electricity in the solar panel would be maintained by the cooling system. In Summer, the excess heat is rejected to the outdoor environment. In Winter, the excess heat is released into the building through another heat exchanger. Research Questions: - Are Hybrid Solar Thermal/CPV systems well suited to Northern Latitude locations? - What is the optimal balance between the X-Power concentration and the size of the Thermal System? - What is the Cost/Benefit ratio of optimized Hybrid solar concentration in northern latitudes? SPONSORS: University of Minnesota Duluth - Facilities Management Participants: John Rashid, John Sawyer, Other Facilities Staff UMD Facilities has provided labor and materials to equip this project University of Minnesota Duluth – Swenson College of Science and Engineering Participants: Students: Andrew Bentley, Brandon Eberle, Sean Zarn, David Hallberg, Laura Stoerzinger (all ECE Students) Faculty: Dr. Stan Burns, Assoc. Dean of SCSE; Dr. Dan Pope, MIE; Scott Norr and Dr. Paul Weber, ECE UMD Science and Engineering has made a financial contribution to the research and is providing the engineering services to move the research forward. Figure 1: Output Totals for the Solar Array Figure 2: Conceptual Drawing of the Weather Station (left) and the Stage 0 Final Result (right) Figure 3: Electric Output Power (kW) and Energy (kWh) for the Month of April, 2009 Malosky Stadium with 5.8 kW Solar Array Figure 4: Energy Available from the Sun (W/sq. meter) for the first half of April, 2009 Figure 5: Stage 1 CPV Experiment as Proposed (above) and Detail of a 4X CPV Cell EXISTING SOLAR ARRAY AT MALSKY : FACTSVALUE Each Sharp ND-208U1F Solar Panel Power Rating 208 Watts Total Array Power (28 Panels in Two 14 Panel Strings) 5800 Watts Surface Area of the 28 Panel Array 45 Sq. Meters Array DC Voltage and DC Current 420 Vdc, 13 Adc Sunny Boy AC Inverter Power Rating 5000 Watts Inverter AC Voltage and Current 220 Vrms, 23 Arms Figure 6: Stage 2 Combined Solar Thermal, Solar Electric System Student Researchers: Andrew Bentley, ECE; Brandon Eberle, ECE; David Hallberg, ECE; Sean Zarn, ECE; Laura Stoerzinger, ECE