written by Nicole L. Ackerman, Amy J. Lovell, Meghan Franklin, Rebecca Cupp, Yijun (Emma) Wan, Victoria Wood, Conner Day, and Eli Whisnant

Agnes Scott College has a significant number of sustainability initiatives, including a hydrogeothermal HVAC system and five solar photovoltaic arrays. The Physics and Astronomy department is in the process of integrating alternative energy into our curriculum and public outreach activities. During Laboratory Physics (PHY311), two student teams pursued self-designed projects to model the efficiency of the 6kW solar array installed at a fixed tilt on the flat roof of the college Observatory. During the summer of 2015, two student research scholars constructed a movable mount and data acquisition system for a stand alone panel identical to those on the roof, to allow control and recording of individual variables such as sun angle, temperature, and other weather conditions. In future years, students will learn about the solar panels in Analog Electronics (PHY242) and present solar power to K-12 school groups touring our Observatory.

• Download BFY2015_Ackerman.pdf - 5666kb Adobe PDF Document

Published November 17, 2015
Last Modified November 17, 2015

This file is included in the full-text index.