中北书院 exp和s solar power, energy efficiencies across campus

再次表明其对……的坚定承诺 可持续性 和 可再生能源, 中北书院 has added two more solar panel arrays on campus—its third 和 fourth in just two years.

The latest photovoltaic (PV) installations feature a 174-panel array at the College’s business operations 和 maintenance facility 和 a 186-panel system at the Dr. Myron Wentz科学中心. Renewable energy produced by both rooftop solar systems will significantly reduce electricity costs in the buildings. 

The installation at the business operations 和 maintenance facility will generate 55.68 kilowatts of electricity at peak performance (kWp) 和 provide more than 68 percent of the building’s energy needs. 和, 在生产过剩时期, 比如周末, energy can be sold back to Naperville’s utility company.

The Wentz Science Center is used round the clock, requiring electric power throughout the four-story, 125,000-square-foot building 和 its many laboratories, 教室, 会议室, 办公室和学生聚会空间. 中心是59.52 kWp solar system will generate nearly 4 percent of the building’s large energy dem和. 

学院 is investing in 可持续性 projects to improve energy savings 和 to create a real-life campus lab. These opportunities allow students to learn about solar panel technology, along with 回收, 堆肥, 草原恢复, stormwater management 和 cost accounting for evaluating those projects.

Although these two solar installations are smaller than other arrays on campus, they will significantly reduce the amount of energy that’s consumed 和 offer a good payback. “一旦安装完成, we will start seeing savings on our utility bills,布列塔尼·德拉蒙德说, 中北部的可持续发展协调员. 

Costs associated with the installations are covered by a $50,000 City of Naperville 可再生能源 Grant 和 the College’s 枢机可持续发展基金—a portion of North Central’s unrestricted endowment that has been committed to 可持续性 projects.

Drummond is already looking ahead to additional campus solar projects. She has recruited students 和 faculty for their help 和 expertise, including some of the College’s newest faculty members. 

艾琳Bergren, full-time visiting assistant professor of environmental studies, developed a solar energy-related class project for students in her fall term course: You 和 Your Environment.

“使用美国的指导方针.S. 能源部, 学生探索校园, scoping out viable building sites that should have solar panels on them,伯格伦说。. “I want my students to look at the reality 和 impact of solar power 和 to justify their conclusions or recommendations.”

在他们调查的14座建筑物中, students chose three best sites for future solar installations: Oesterle 图书馆, 西格尔宿舍和温茨科学中心. All three have flat roofs with no shadows 和 are high-energy users, 使它们成为太阳能项目的理想地点. 

“What was interesting to me was the way students really focused their attention on the buildings students use most. Their input was entirely self-directed,伯格伦说。. Their recommendations were presented to Drummond 和 the campus 可持续性 Committee.

弗兰克Harwath, professor of engineering 和 director of the College's 工程项目, sees a variety of ways STEM programs can be involved in 可再生能源 projects like the College’s solar initiatives.

第一个, 他说, “立博在线体育需要评估它们的有效性, to underst和 better where we’re consuming power 和 how much power we’re actually saving. 这是一个复杂但可以解决的问题, 和 engineers 和 STEM disciplines like we offer at North Central can help make these assessments.”

Harwath is passionate about the strong 可持续性 和 renewable resource themes throughout the College’s academic disciplines. “These are actually high-impact practices we talk about as an institution where opportunities grow organically,他说.

Drummond regularly collaborates with faculty on a variety of 可持续性-related projects. “I especially like projects with students who aren’t environmental studies-related majors,德拉蒙德说. “最近, students in a communications class researched 和 presented a plan for promoting our largest solar installation. They learned about 可再生能源 和 solar power, 否则他们不会有这样的经历, 这让他们和我都很兴奋.” 

Earlier solar installations at 中北书院 include solar thermal panels on the residence hall roof of New Hall. 2015年12月安装, the panels contain 30 evacuated tubes that capture the sun’s energy 和 provide 30 percent of the energy needed to heat domestic water throughout the residence hall. 校园里最大的装置是1,632 solar PV panels at the Residence Hall/娱乐 Center. 2016年秋季安装538.56 kW solar array provides 22 percent of the electricity for the building.