1. Campus Renewable Energy
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
1) Design and create an environmentally
friendly way to alleviate the high demand for
power by Geisel Library.
2) Combine solar panel energy with a Proton
Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell in place of
a battery to eliminate environmentally toxic
byproducts, making our project “green”!
CURRENT DESIGN
PATH FORWARD
Although the University of California, San Diego is
powered through a microgrid, it still relies on a large
amount of non-renewable fuel to power its campus.
Geisel Library is one of the top ranked public
academic libraries in our nation and the heart of our
school. It attracts both students and guests with its
vast resources, but one can imagine the amount of
energy this library consumes each day. In 2015,
Geisel consumed on a monthly average 475,000
kWh, which costs approximately $25,000 per month.
In order to limit Geisel’s consumption of non-
renewable energy, our system seeks to employ solar
panels and PEM fuel cells.
Project Manager: Giahan Nguyen
Members: Jennifer Chin, Nathaniel de Los Santos, Clarence Go, Nabila Hussain, Serina Huang, Joshua Navarro, Chanh Nguyen, Tsai Wen Sung,
Alan Tam, Khanh Tran, Wilton Woo
Figure 1. Block diagram of current process design
OUR VISION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Dr. Opatkiewicz - Project Advisor
Dr. Kleissl - Project Advisor
Dr. Nguyen - Project Advisor
Andrew Elgar - E.E wizard
Scott McAvoy - Geisel representative
Anna Dickson - A.S. Funding Manager
Figures 2-3. Relay and Light Sensing Circuit Diagrams
The prototype is designed to test the effectiveness of current
switching mechanisms, which will regulate the current flow between
the solar panel, fuel cell, and load. Through the prototype, we were
able to charge a phone with the standard voltage input of 5V.
RESULTS
May 22, 2016
AIChE Projects - Prototype Showcase