|
State Energy Program (SEP) Special Project, North Carolina, 2004
Carolina Green Energy, LLC (CGE), the North Carolina Solar Center, and North Carolina State University have located a superb site for a "Brownfield to Brightfield" project on the university campus in Raleigh. Between 1969 and 1981, the university disposed of laboratory wastes on a 1.5-acre site on what was then the edge of campus and now is known as "Lot 86." Following its closure, the site was designated a Superfund site and was partially remediated in 2002 by immobilizing the contaminants with soil grout. Extensive soil stabilization work at Lot 86 was performed to reduce the risk of exposure to chemicals for anyone living, working, or passing near the area. The site is easily accessible from the Raleigh-Durham area, allowing opportunities for tours by managers of other Brownfield sites, and encouraging replication of the project. CGE proposes to partner with the North Carolina Solar Center to design and install a 30-kW grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) system. As part of its continued efforts to bolster support for renewable energy, the Solar Center will incorporate the "Brownfield to Brightfield" project at Lot 86 into its ongoing education and outreach programs. CGE, in conjunction with the Solar Center, will design and install a 30-kW modular array PV system that will be able to conform to the uneven landscape of Lot 86. Each array will include rack-mounted PV modules and an inverter that is sized to the wattage of each array section. The DC to AC conversion will be made by a commercially available, Underwriters Laboratories certified, grid compatible inverter. High-efficiency PV modules, by Sharp, Sanyo, BP, and others are being considered for this project. Each array will be constructed from a commercially available mounting system, such as Unirac's U-LA system. The use of such a mounting system should ensure that the arrays are interchangeable and replicable. Each array will be located no closer to the ground than 24 inches. This should ensure that the PV system will not interfere with routine landscaping duties and that damage to the PV modules from dirt and debris is minimized. The clay cap that covers and protects the site cannot be punctured by deep footings, so the arrays will be supported by precast concrete support anchors with variable length metal legs to accommodate the south sloping terrain. This design will allow all the arrays to be built offsite and quickly installed by crane. Offsite construction and standard parts will allow this system to be built faster and cheaper than onsite PV installations.
SEP Topics
Solar Power
DOE Funding
Solar Energy Technologies Program
$125,000
Contact North Carolina's State Energy Office for more information.
|
