Did you ever notice that there’s something different about the ten-block? That group of townhouses overlooking the baseball field with the shiny, black roof?
In January 2000, a project over a year and a half in the making came into being and 2800 square feet worth of solar panels were installed on the roofs of four out of the eight houses on that block. But what are they doing now?
According to Dr. Evangelos Hadjimichael, dean of engineering and the director of this project, the sun has been a free source of energy for the past five billion years.
Funded by generous grants from three separate educational and power foundations, these cells utilize such a source to provide 50 to 60 percent of the energy needs, while also serving as roofs for the houses that they cover. When the sun hits these sleek black solar panels, its electric power is captured and either converted into alternating current and combined with other forms of electricity to power everyday appliances, or stored in a battery as direct current for later use. The data collected is instantly sent over the net to be used by a team of students in a Physics Capstone class. Using this system of energy converters, Hadjimichael plans to popularize the use of alternate forms of energy, while increasing its efficiency on campus.
The current residents of these houses are not involved in the process and remain uninformed as to their benefits.
Elissa DeRose, ’04, who says that the solar panels are “a good idea,” did not know about their existence until move-in day. She and her housemates have been careful to conserve energy in order to keep utility bills low, regardless of their presence. Mike Brosnan, ’03, the block’s Townhouse Manager, on the other hand, took the idea of the solar panels into consideration when choosing to live in the ten-block. He thought that living in a house partially powered by photovoltaic energy would save money, but he has noticed no drop in the amount that he is paying for utilities each month.
When asked for comment, he said that he was shocked that at their efficiency and said that he “would like to see the benefit.” So where does the money go?
Dr. Hadjimichael, who is not involved in the economic consequences of solar energy on campus, is mainly concerned with their efficiency.
He says that he would like to see more installed once more data is collected, so that Fairfield can continue to work toward making the use of solar energy a valid alternative.
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