Solar Sidewalk

FAU's President Brogan speaks at the dedication ceremonyA partnership between ADHUS, FAU, FPL and FSEC made the solar sidewalk a reality
 

The ADHUS walkway PV cover consists of a system of 40 photovoltaic modules (the PV array) that convert sunlight directly to electricity.  Each module is capable of delivering 125 watts of DC electricity under full sunlight and cool temperature conditions.

The DC electricity is then directed to the power conditioning equipment inside the equipment house adjacent to the walkway.  This equipment consists of charge controllers, various disconnect switches (not shown in diagram), circuit breakers, storage batteries, and an inverter.

The charge controllers are used to prevent the special lead-acid batteries from overcharging.  The batteries store electricity for use in case electricity is not available from the utility grid or from the PV array.  The inverter is used to convert the DC electricity to standard 120-volt AC electricity.  Under full sun and normal operating conditions, the inverter is capable of delivering approximately 3200 watts of AC power.

Once the DC electricity has been converted to AC electricity, it can go to two different batteries.  The first location is the emergency distribution panel.  This distribution panel is used to power emergency loads in the event that grid power may be lost.  Power for the emergency loads is available from either the PV array or the batteries.

Once the needs of the emergency loads have been met, any additional power available from the PV array is delivered to ADHUS' main distribution panel, where it is then used by non-emergency loads in the school building.  In the unlikely event that the power delivered by the inverter should exceed the needs of ADHUS, any leftover power is sent back into the utility grid for someone else to use.

The system is designed to produce approximately 6,000kWh of electricity per year.  This electricity is produced without noise and without pollution.  Additional benefits of the PV "roof" are shade and shelter.  In addition to the electricity, shade and shelter, the system will enable students at Henderson and at FAU to use the system to learn more about renewable energy options.

The system was designed by a group of four FAU engineering students to fulfill their senior design project requirements.  Funding for the project was provided through a grant from the Florida Solar Energy Center as a part of the Florida PV for Schools Program created by the Florida Legislature and from Florida Power and Light Company.    System performance is being monitored by the Florida Solar Energy Center.  Data on system performance is available on the FSEC website.

The use of PV power has been increasing at an annual rate exceeding 20% over the past decade.  It is estimated that similar canopies over the parking lots of FAU alone could generate more than 10 million watts of electricity, while providing shade for the parked cars.

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