Cornell presently has two solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity generating systems on campus, one at Day Hall and one soon to become operable (June 2007) at The Cornell Store. They were aesthetically approved by the University Architect and the CFPC in early summer 2006, both were made possible on campus due to a donation of used solar panels and installation labor, as well as a desire by the administration to get our first solar PV systems on campus. The Day Hall installation became operable shortly before Christmas '06. These systems are the result of nearly five years of effort by students, staff, and the administration to create an acceptable campus installation.
The Day Hall system is 15 kilowatt (kW) peak output, and is located on the second floor southern roof area. The electricity generated will go into the Day Hall electrical system which is part of the overall campus owned and operated electrical system. It is a small (1-2 % of the bldg usage) amount of generated electricity relative to the building use, but compared to local residential and commercial systems, it is noteworthy. Locally we are not aware of any larger systems other than at Ithaca Bakery (12kW) and Tompkins County Library (145 kW). The annual amount will be 10-12,000 kWhrs/yr worth about $1,000 to 1,200. The system installed cost is expected to be about $50,000 ($3.30/watt) due to the significant savings resulting from donated panels and donated electrician labor (40-50 year simple payback).
The Cornell Store system is 2.2 kilowatt (kW) peak output, and will be located above the loading dock on the vertical south wall of the store. This system will be very visible to walkers by and is expected to be visible to the community at large. Kevin Drake and The Store expect to have output and information about the system and their own energy conservation efforts on their large screens and web site, along with the Day Hall system, for promotion of conservation and renewable energy. Interestingly, Day Hall and The Cornell Store use about the same amount of electricity each year. But because this system is so much smaller, its annual output will be about .15 to .2 % of the annual use, much less than 1%. The annual amount will be 1,500 to 1,800 kWhrs/yr worth about $150 to $180. The system cost is expected to be about $15,000 ($7.50/watt), again lower than the industry average of $10/installed watt due to the donations we received (100 year simple payback).
The project execution is being accomplished by a team of folks and two separate projects. Common to both projects is the use of a local renewable energy contractor to provide design, supply of accessory materials to the gifted PV panels, and construction oversight. The labor for installation is being donated by the local Electricians union apprentice program. Day Hall's project required an extra element of complication and coordination as the roof area proposed there was scheduled for replacement. This replacement was expedited to allow installation of the panels.