Jonathan Biggs
Professor Marx
Cal Poly Jumps On Board
Cal Poly is one of four CSU campuses participating in the California Solar Initiative. Cal Poly had a solar photovoltaic system installed as part of the California Solar Initiative, mandated by the governor and run by the California Department of General Services that provides solar photovoltaic systems to state facilities in an effort to increase their sustainability. This program recruits private third party companies in order to connect the solar consumer with the producer. SunEdison is the third party company that owns, operates, and manages Cal PolyÕs solar PV system. The company aims to be a leader in sustainability efforts. This program will contribute to the sustainability of Cal Poly by lowering energy costs and carbon emissions.
Solar
energy is a clean source of alternative energy that is rising in popularity.
Solar PV systems use renewable energy from the sun and are environmentally
friendly. Solar panels work by converting sunlight into electricity; this is
known as photovoltaic technology. A semiconductor, usually silicon, absorbs
light. This causes the electrons within the material to increase in energy and
begin moving. This energy is aimed in a certain direction by purposefully
adding small amounts of impurities to change the materialÕs electrical
properties (doping the semiconductor). Aluminum is
commonly used to create those impurities. When aluminum binds to silicon it
creates a ÒholeÓ because it creates the absence of an electron where normally
one would exist, resulting in a positive semiconductor. Adding an atom with
five valence electrons such as antimony (unlike the three in aluminum) causes
the opposite effect, a negative semiconductor. The introduction of a voltage to
either type of semiconductor causes the electrical current to move in a certain
direction. A solar panel uses these two types of silicon to control the
absorbed energy. The electrons in the negative layer, increasing in energy,
absorb light. The electrons become excited and are able to move to the ÒholesÓ
in the positive layer. It is in the electrical current created that solar panel
technology converts light energy into electricity (Solar Panels).
Using
renewable energy yields many benefits. It is a clean source of energy that
comes from sustainable resources. Using renewable resources for energy can help
global warming by reducing the production of carbon dioxide. It will decrease
the incredible dependence our society currently has on imported oil. By
supporting this rather new technology, it will create jobs for American workers
and potentially lead to the United States becoming the world leader and
exporter of renewable power technologies.
In an effort to boost the use of renewable power
technologies the California Solar Initiative has set a goal to create 3,000
megawatts of new, solar-produced electricity by 2017. This will move the state
toward a cleaner energy future and help lower the cost of solar systems for
consumers. The program also wants to increase the amount of electricity from
renewable energy from 20% to 33% by 2020.
The program offers incentives starting at $2.50 per watt for photovoltaic
systems up to one megawatt in size. The program also provides funds for solar
installation to existing and new low-income and affordable housing. The program
also has a pay-for-performance incentive structure to reward high-performing
solar projects (The California Solar Initiative). The program will be
coordinated with the stateÕs energy efficiency guidelines ensuring that the
state is using its energy resources wisely. The Public Utilities Commission and
Energy commission have developed rules for the development of cost-effective,
clean and reliable distributed generation. This program is currently preparing
to embark on another phase of projects and about 18 CSU campuses are signed up
to participate.
The California Solar Initiative installed solar PV systems
on numerous state facilities including prisons, state administrative buildings
and four campuses-Dominguez Hills, Chico, Fullerton as well as Cal Poly. All of
these projects were installed as part of Third Party Power Purchase Agreements
(PPAÕs). This is an arrangement in which the customer (Cal Poly) signs a zero
cost lease agreement with the solar provider (SunEdison) to allow the provider
to use the roof area, a parking lot or open land to install panels. The solar
provider designs, builds, owns, operates, and maintains the solar system. The
customer agrees to buy all the power the system produces at a pre-negotiated
rate structure. In Cal PolyÕs case, the rate is 14.5 cents/kWh for the first
year, with the cost of electricity going up by 1.85% every year for the
duration of a 20-year contract.
Cal Poly joins California State University Chico, Dominguez
Hills, and Fullerton in this pilot program. This program is showing a great
deal of success so far. At CSU Chico there are 1,212 three-by-four-foot solar
panels on two roofs, Yolo Hall and Acker Gym. They generate an estimated 300
kWh. This is the first solar power generation for the campus. The total savings
to the University translates into about $282,000 over the 20-year period of the
contract. At CSU Dominguez Hills, SunEdison installed a 500-kilowatt system on
the parking canopies of their parking lot. SunEdison paid the $2.8 million cost
to install and operate the systems over the course of the 20-year contract with
the University. The CSUÕs will buy the power back from SunEdison at
approximately one cent per kilowatt less than the current rate. SunEdisonÕs
benefits by receiving federal ÒGreen TagÓ tax credits for installing solar
power equipment that generates renewal energy as well as a guaranteed buyer of
the energy produced from the solar panels.
SunEdison
is the largest solar energy provider in the United States. They own and operate
more power plants and deliver more megawatt hours than any other solar energy
service provider in North America. SunEdison provides solar electricity as a
service rather than a product, which allowed them to be the third party company
for many of the solar PV systems installed by the state of California. The
companies mission statement ÒTo make solar services a viable and rewarding
alternative to traditional energy sources (SunEdison)Ó goes right in line with
the mission that Governor Schwarzenegger has set out for the state.
The system installed at Cal Poly will certainly improve the
campusÕ sustainability. The system consists of 1,008 panels angled at 15
degrees facing 8 degrees West of due South. The panels cover 14,000 square feet
of the West Engineering Buildings roof.
The system capacity is 135 kW AC with an annual production of 275,000
kWh. This solar PV system is rather small, providing only 0.7% of the total
energy needs of the University (Elliot). The power generated from this system
is pollution free. It will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 350,000 pounds
per year, the equivalent to approximately 35 commuter vehicles (Cal Poly
engineering).
There have been many other energy and water conservation
projects completed at Cal Poly and many more under development. There is
currently planning and development under way for another, much larger solar PV
system, potentially 1MW or larger as an expansion of the program (Elliot). This
is happening as part of a campus wide energy audit being performed by Chevron
Energy Solutions, a consultant/contractor working for Cal Poly. This project is
one of many more to come in Cal PolyÕs efforts to become a more sustainable
University.
ÒSolar Panels.Ó Silicon Solar Inc. 2006. 3 Mar. 2008. http://www.siliconsolar.com/solar-panels.php
ÒThe California Solar Initiative-CSI.Ó Go Solar California.
3 Mar. 2008 http://www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/csi/index.html
ÒCal Poly engineering to dedicate solar energy system.Ó 7
Dec. 2007. 3 Mar. 2008. http://www.green.ca.gov/NewsandEvents/NewsStories/061205.htm
Elliot,
Dennis. Cal Poly. Chief Engineer of Facility Services
SunEdison.
3 Mar. 2008http://www.SunEdison.com