AzRISE Helping to get Solar on Campus Dorms

Given the ubiquity of solar energy beaming down to Tucson every day, it is a sad, but nonetheless true fact, that the University of Arizona is primarily powered by coal and natural gas.

In the fall of 2008, over a dozen students founded a group - PSPSP- to help get solar on campus residence halls, starting with the Posada San Pedro Residence Hall. AzRISE has collaborated with PSPSP on finding ways to take full advantage of the Arizona sun. AzRISE has helped design the system and link the student group up with community installers and panel manufacturers.

To save roof space, AzRISE proposed implementing a co-generation energy system from the company SunDrum. The system combines both solar hot water heating and PV together. Such a combined system conserves roof space and produces hot water for the dorm. The heat exchanger fluid behind each panel acts as a heat sink, making the PV modules on average 11% more efficient.

In anticipation for this unique system, PSPSP and AzRISE is planning an education focused onsite and online monitoring system for public viewing - so that everyone can see the real time impacts of the energy system. Indeed, the roof of Posada San Pedro, equipped with panels, would serve as a learning laboratory for engineering students looking to study the potential of solar technology. AzRISE and PSPSP will carefully document both the financial and the environmental benefits of the system. The data gathered can most certainly be applied to planning future systems on other buildings.