ESL
Ecological Systems Lab and Solar Tracker
Solar Decathalon | Ecological Systems Labratory | Past Projects
Porter Road, University Park Campus
(Adjacent to the Baseball Stadium)
Ecological Systems Laboratory and Solar Tracker
The Ecological Systems Laboratory (ESL)
The Class Gift of 2000 at Penn State and a DEP funded project, the ESL is a natural wastewater treatment facility that mimics nature's own processes found in wetlands and marshes to remediate contaminated water. Micro-organisms break down and digest the waste, as they do in our outdoor ecosystems, found in closed aerobic and anaerobic tanks. Inside the biofilter’s greenhouse, tropical plants, flowers and a fish flourish in open aerobic tanks, continuing this filtering process. Since the plants are doing most of the work, the ESL offers a low impact,
less costly and less energy intensive alternative to chemical waste water
treatment. This blackwater treatment system is capable of cleaning 1000 gallons a day with expansions
planned for the facility in the near future.
The ESL Center features a newly installed grid-tied Solar Array and Tracker that provides power for the beautiful bio-filter wastewater treatment facility.
The Solar Tracker at the Ecological Systems Lab
Inspired by the Solar Scholars initiative of the Sustainable Energy Fund of Central Eastern Pennsylvania, a team of Learning Factory capstone design students, Center for Sustainability staff, faculty, and the Office of Physical Plant, worked together to design and build the Solar Tracker. The project began in January 2006 and was connected to the grid on November 7, 2006. Funding was provided by the Sustainable Energy Fund of Central Eastern Pennsylvania, the Office of Physical Plant, and the Center for Sustainability.
Mounted on the tracker are ten solar panels that are connected together to produce a rated output of 1,750 Watts of power. Actual power output will vary depending on the clearness and air temperature. This type of solar panel produces more power as air temperature drops, so peak output will occur on sunny winter days. The tracker follows the sun’s movement during the day, thereby increasing the energy collected by about 25%.
The direct-current electricity produced by the panels must be converted to alternating-current to be consistent with the type of power provided by the electric utility. This task is performed by an inverter, and in this case the inverter also manages tying the solar electricity into the utility grid. The solar electricity will go toward the electricity used in the Ecological Systems Test Lab first. If the solar production exceeds what is needed, then the excess is fed into the local utility grid to meet electricity needs in other buildings.
The benefits of using solar electricity include:
- Reducing conventional electricity use and saving on the utility bill. A system like this one could provide all of the electricity needs of a high-performance green home in Centre County.
- Reducing the pollution generated by coal-fired power plants. Each day, this tracker saves about 18 lb of carbon dioxide, or over 3 tons a year.
- Creating jobs. The National Renewable Energy Lab predicts that “Within 25 years, the industry expects to employ more than 150,000 Americans in high-value, high-tech jobs, which is about the size of the current glass industry.”
- Makes us healthier. There are less particulates in the air, less sulfur and nitrogen oxides, and less mercury. Estimates of the dollar value of these health benefits range greatly, but are on the order of what we pay for electricity to nearly 10 times what we pay.
For more information, see http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/photovoltaics.html
Solar Decathalon | Ecological Systems Labratory | Past Projects