A group of seniors completed the attached report for the Art and Design Building, for rooftop solar. They recommended a flexible solar material, with micro-inverters. The Art and Design department is interested in working with a student in the fall to seek funding for the rooftop solar from the Student Sustainability Committee.
In the Energy Billing System (EBS), there are meters for solar energy on campus. In BIF, 3D stands for electricity delivered and 3R stands for received (the energy the arrays use when not generating).
Morgan Johnston gives a MSTE Friday Lunch presentation called "Renewable Energy at the University of Illinois".
The ICECF biomass boiler grant was approved!
Construction of a 5.87 megawatt (MW) Solar Farm on campus is under construction, after university and state officials approved power purchase and land lease agreements with Phoenix Solar South Farms, LLC.
Once installed, the Solar Farm will be one of the largest on-site university arrays in the country, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency statistics, producing 7.86 million kilowatt-hours per year, or approximately two percent of the electrical demand for the Urbana campus in fiscal year 2015.
Facilities & Services Executive Director Al Stratman said, “We are very pleased to see this long awaited agreement completed and signed, so the installation can begin. This unique and challenging project was only made possible through the dedication of many people working together and focused on achieving our renewable energy goals.”
In 2008, the chancellor signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, pledging to be carbon neutral by 2050. As a part of this commitment, specific goals for energy conservation and renewable energy were outlined in the 2010 Illinois Climate Action Plan. The Solar Farm will contribute toward the renewable energy used on campus for at least twenty years.
"The Solar Farm represents the success of numerous efforts, including those made by the many hard-working students committed to advancing renewable energy and environmental sustainability,” said Amy Liu, chair of the Student Sustainability Committee. “Its construction will be a historic project and a source of great pride for campus."
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The 20.8 acre solar farm, to be located along the south side of Windsor Road between First Street and the railroad tracks, was first approved by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees in November 2012.
Japan is now implementing floating solar farms, on large bodies of water. The water keeps the panels cooler than ambient temperature, so they are more efficent.
Professor Scott Willenbrock shared this link with photos from the installation of solar on his home. http://www.newprairieconstruction.com/solar-panel-installation.
A group of faculty, students, and staff are looking into the options for an Electrification Study for campus. This would be a study that goes through the formal "Feasibility Study" process at F&S, starting with a "Qualifications Based Selection" or QBS.
the Indy airport solar array is 17.5 MW AC.
The iCAP Working Group (iWG) met on March 30th, 2016, to discuss the recommendation EGen003 PPA Term and started the assessment. iWG's official recommendation was:
"We understand that the University is currently advocating for state legislative relief from a number of procurement-related restrictions, and we recommend that the University include in this effort a request to eliminate the 10-year limit on Power Purchase Agreements. If successful, this would allow (but not require) our campus and Prairieland Energy, Inc. to enter into long-term Power Purchase Agreements for renewable energy (including electricity and other renewable fuels) which may offer more favorable terms, perhaps even being less expensive than traditional energy options."
See the attached file for the complete assessment of this recommendation with comments from all the iWG members.
See SWATeam recommendation EGen003 PPA Term here.
see file
see file
Dr. Emily Heaton from Iowa State will be talking about the biomass project at Univ. of Iowa.
Time : April 1st, 12-1pm.
Location : iSEE conference room 358. National Soybean Research Laboratory 1101 W Peabody Dr, Urbana, IL
Ben McCall, Morgan Johnston, Scott Willenbrock, and Mike Larson met with Ted Christy and Jim Sims to discuss the process for an Electrification Study. Ted provided the attached document that needs to be completed in order to move forward. Additionally, Ted indicated that attachment a is the most pertinent. He said, "This statement would tell us what, from your perspective you hope to receive at the end of this study for it to be considered successful. It doesn’t need to get into detail. A paragraph or two in your own words to provide general description is very helpful. On the other hand, don’t feel like you need to limit this item, many departments submit a several page document. This information is used by the Planner to develop a scope statement that you will need to sign off on before we seek project approval."
Propane is 2.4 times more expensive to burn to achieve the same amount of thermal energy.
~Mike Marquissee, F&S Utilites and Energy Services
Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides, waves and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished. Carbon mitigation efforts need to introduce substantial amounts of clean, renewable energy. Possibilities include wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass, as well as off-campus renewables. Investing in renewable energy research and technology can contribute to a reduction in emissions on our campus so that we can meet our future goals. The U of I will satisfy at least 5 percent of all its electrical energy needs through renewable energy generation systems by 2015, and add more renewable energy sources during the future.
Renewable energy can supply a considerable amount our energy needs. It also creates many public benefits, including environmental improvement, increased fuel diversity and economic development benefits. Renewable energy produces no anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and reduces some types of air pollution. It also reduces dependence on imported fuels, which increases our national security. Renewable Energy is a secure, local and inexhaustible resource that can also result in lower fuel bills and heating system-running costs.
A copy of the meeting notes for the Energy Generation, Purchasing, and Distribution team meeting on Thursday, March 3rd 2016.
The Architecture Review Committee (ARC) approved the concept for rooftop solar on the Idea Garden shed, per this description from F&S Engineer Kristine Chalifoux: "Engineering Design has been approached by the Illinois Extension about designing solar panels for the roof of the shed at the arboretum. They would like to cover the room with panels and use batteries in the shed to store the power. They would like to have a light on site, ability to use power tools, and possibly some heat during the winter.
The panels would be approximately (depending on manufacturer) 3’x5’ and cover the entire south facing portion of the roof. The roof has two slopes with a shallower slope at the front. Both would be covered."
ARC approved the request and concept of installing the solar panels on the roof of the shed providing that the integrity of the shed could support the installation.
ECE rooftop solar project update:
1) The original PO bought approximately 500 panels for $240,925. This was funded with $100K from the DCEO grant, and $140,925 from the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) funding.
2) The original funding plan was for a total project cost of $900,000. It was made up of $225K from the SSC, $250K from DCEO, $100 from the Grainger Center for Engineering, and $325K from the department and college. When DCEO cut the grant funding with the state budget crisis, the project stalled with just the initial purchase of panels completed.
3) Current campus project implementation methodology requires this project to go through the Capital Programs process for installation of the panels. ECE is seeking project funding and approval for the full installation.
4) ECE has initiated a PO for the remaining 421 panels from a sole source vendor, at a discounted rate.
