PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (June 20, 2024) – What in case you may activate the lights or run the air con unit with out worrying about operating up costly electrical energy payments? The Professor of Electrical Engineering Dr. John Fuller ’69 of Prairie View A&M University’s Roy G. Perry College of Engineering is taking steps to make that dream a actuality at PVAMU—and past—with the opening of its first research-powered Solar Lab on the day of the University facility.
“Come take a look at the lights. This summer season, Summer 2024, we might be absolutely operational,” mentioned Dr. Fuller. “The lights are on all evening, powered by photo voltaic vitality collected in the course of the day from the solar and used at evening by saved photo voltaic vitality. There are many issues our college students can do.”
Dr. Fuller is wanting ahead to launching analysis actions for college kids on the facility this fall. The Solar Lab guarantees to open a realm of enlightening data for college kids, paving the way in which for his or her profession good points after commencement.
“Our engineering college students can do groundbreaking analysis and academic experimental work on sensor tasks, grasp’s theses and doctoral dissertations,” he mentioned. “The Solar Lab can also be interdisciplinary. It consists of not solely engineering but in addition chemistry, cybersecurity and different concentrations.”
The facility, situated on about one hectare of land adjoining to FM 1098 on the northwest aspect of the PVAMU campus, consists of communication programs, semiconductor supplies, 3D monitoring programs that monitor the solar, strong state programs, electrical safety programs, and more-all. the place college students profit from rising job markets.
Dr. Fuller (left) is pictured with former medical scholar Dr. Anthony Hill ’92, ’16, ’20, ’23. The experience of Dr. Hill is instrumental in implementing a stay monitoring system inside the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building and permits real-time monitoring of the efficiency of the Solar Lab via Wi-Fi connectivity.
“There are many alternative areas for our college students to research,” mentioned Dr. Fuller. “That method, college students can determine what they wish to do once they graduate. The top-of-the-line are the PhD dissertations, which take a yr or two, to allow them to actually get in-depth.
“We must have educated college students to proceed. We are wanting on the wants of the nation.”
Global Change
Solar vitality manufacturing has elevated dramatically previously decade—greater than tenfold in comparison with the early 2010s. According to the US Energy Information Administration, practically 4% of all energy technology within the US comes from solar-generated energy. That quantity is predicted to develop to twenty% by 2050.
In Texas alone, the EIA states that “photo voltaic capability additions are altering the form of the every day electrical energy provide.” Solar-generated energy elevated by 35% from 2022 to 2023.
“I’m a strong man,” mentioned Dr. Fuller. “We wish to give our college students data of an actual energy system. We have some younger minds, they usually might have some ideas on the way to enhance these programs. Most What we’re doing is responding to the wants of the nation.”
Through hands-on experimentation and shut evaluation, PVAMU college students working within the Solar Lab will enter the job market ready for the renewable useful resource wave hitting the nation…and the world.
The foremost goal is to equip college students with sensible expertise, guarantee their competitiveness when getting into their chosen fields and their capability to face fashionable challenges successfully. Notably, one explicit discipline is witnessing a surge in demand.
“Right now, that is the power,” mentioned Dr. Fuller. “For one, college students can take a look at the semiconductor materials, the way it works, and find out how they’ll make it higher.”
He mentioned Houston is quickly shifting towards a future with elevated reliance on solar-generated energy. This pattern has unfold to completely different sectors, from residential to personal business, marking a major improve within the adoption of photo voltaic vitality.
“They must know the way to do every thing,” mentioned Dr. Fuller. “The engineer designs the system and maintains it.”
Evolution of Transportation
The PVAMU Solar Lab makes use of a cutting-edge photo voltaic tracker to maintain the photo voltaic panels perpendicular to the solar, accumulating most vitality advantages.
“We have a battery system, which is a spot for our college students. Here once more, the know-how of the batteries is vital. The batteries are designed to retailer the electrical energy collected from the solar. We have already ordered some electrical vehicles, extra within the laboratory class, so college students can experiment with batteries,” mentioned Dr. Fuller.
The 45-kilowatt most capability battery system put in within the Solar Lab can energy the whole lab—lights, air con, and tools—for 2 to 3 days, mentioned Dr. Fuller.
“Even at evening, we now have batteries that energy the lights, and the photo voltaic panels accumulate vitality from the lights,” he mentioned with a smile. “Eventually we are going to join the electrical energy [grid].”
The Solar Lab, distinctive inside the Texas A&M University System, has reached the ultimate levels of Title III funding, however Dr. Fuller and others have a watch on the long run.
Currently present process renovations, an present construction on the property will quickly function a delegated bus shelter for electrical buses, full with charging stations. Buses will present transportation to college students who stay off campus in close by communities. Dr. anticipated. Fuller mentioned that the bus routes will begin in 2025.
Looking past 2025, the horizon for renewable vitality tasks stretches throughout campus, providing the promise of vitality effectivity to a broader demographic.
“People have been speculating about having a 10-acre photo voltaic system to assist run the University,” mentioned Dr. Fuller. “We save tens of millions of {dollars} yearly.”
By Kerry Laird
-PVAMU-
