May 1, 2001

North Carolina Solar Center Initiatives Explore Energy Alternatives

Rob Stevens, Solar Engineering Specialist, works with the experimental photovoltaic/water heater unit at the NC Solar Center.	Shawn Fitzpatrick, Solar Engineering Specialist, examines the experimental photovoltaic/water heater unit at the NC Solar Center.

Rolling blackouts in California.  High natural gas prices.  Energy concerns are much in the news these days, and a particular focus is America’s dependence on finite fossil fuels.  Renewable energy is becoming more and more attractive as an alternative.  New initiatives as well as continuing programs at the North Carolina Solar Center are exploring energy alternatives with exciting innovations.

The original mission of the NC Solar Center, founded in 1988, was educational, and many of its activities still reflect this focus.  These days, the center’s activities have expanded to four program areas:  education and outreach, technical assistance/professional training, research and commercialization and policy analysis.  Each of these areas addresses a unique aspect of renewable energy.

The Million Solar Roofs initiative is typical of the innovative educational programs coordinated by the NC Solar Center.  Since 1999 the NC Solar Center has been working with communities in the state to develop locally directed partnerships with the long-term goal of a more sustainable energy future for North Carolina.  Watauga and Guilford counties have led this effort by involving community leaders in workshops and seminars.  According to Chris Larsen, Renewable Energy Specialist with the NC Solar Center, “These communities have been a good vehicle for generating enthusiasm and getting people interested in and aware of solar because not everyone can come to the workshops in Raleigh and visit the Solar House.  The community contacts help us get in touch with a wider audience than we have in the past.”

Another new educational project of nationwide interest involves “daylit schools.”  Recent research studies around the country, such as those reported in such professional journals as American School and University, indicate that students’ energy and alertness are better in schools that use natural daylight for illumination.  In addition the presence of solar energy systems in a school has been shown to generate increased enthusiasm for science and mathematics among the students; the students become intrigued by the mechanics of such systems and want to learn more.  In Raleigh recently built Dillard Drive Elementary and Middle School has been receiving much publicity as an example of a daylit school, and the NC Solar Center is involved in spreading the word.

Because of increased nationwide awareness of energy issues, NC Solar Center technical assistance and professional training workshops have been consistently oversubscribed in the past few years, according to Larsen.  Workshops provide information on solar energy alternatives to a wide variety of professionals, including builders, architects, plumbers, electricians and heating contractors.  Classes are also available for citizens interested in solar home construction.

NC Solar Center Solar Engineering Specialists Rob Stevens and Shawn Fitzpatrick are conducting an exciting patentable research project:  a new design for a combination photovoltaic/thermal unit.  Photovoltaic (PV) modules generate electrical power directly from solar radiation.  Conventional solar water heaters typically use a circulating liquid mechanism.  Stevens and Fitzpatrick hope to develop a practical way to use heat from the back side of a PV panel to provide water and space heating and possibly drive an air conditioning system.  “One of the key features of this design is that the panels will be roof integrated, or incorporated into the actual structure of the roof,” said Stevens.  “BIPV (building integrated photovoltaics) is an important new area of PV design.”

The NC Solar Center has recently become more involved in public policy decisions in North Carolina. According to Larsen, who spearheads the NC Solar Center’s policy program, two of the biggest issues currently informing North Carolina’s renewable energy policy are “green” power  and net metering.  Two recent green power surveys — one in 1999 and one in 2000 — in the state indicated that a majority of citizens would be willing to pay extra on their utility bills to support renewable power.  The challenge is for the state Utilities Commission to find ways to implement green power initiatives to benefit both people and the environment.  Net metering, on the other hand, would allow customers to both generate their own power with PVs and connect to the utility grid.

Larsen sees the programs at the NC Solar Center expanding over the next few years.  Two years ago the center celebrated its tenth anniversary; they’ve come a long way since then.  According to A Decade of Innovation, the center’s commemorative brochure, “In the decade since its founding, the center has grown and developed into an organization with diverse capabilities and services.”  The global energy challenges we face are here to stay, and the NC Solar Center promises to be a leader in developing sustainable, renewable alternatives as we move into the next century.

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Technical Contact:  Chris Larsen, 919/515-5666 or chris_larsen@ncsu.edu
Media Contact:  Linda E. Rudd, 919/515-3848 or linda_rudd@ncsu.edu