PHOTOVOLTAIC TOWER
SOLAR CANOPY
INTELLIGENT MICRO-GRID
INTELLIGENT MICRO-GRID
Sustainability@BCIT R E N E W A B L E E N E R G Y S O LU T I O N S
Fernanda Cunha & Coby Woods
British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) has successfully put into action several projects that allow the institution to meet its environmental goals and provide students with a hands-on opportunity to investigate and research these technologies. A Photovoltaic Tower, Solar Canopy, and an Intelligent Micro-grid are part of BCIT’s commitment to sustainability which is improving campus operations through green building design and efficient energy management.
POWER TOWER
In 2003, BCIT students, faculty and staff collaborated to design and build the Power Tower which provides a practical demonstration project for research and teaching in solar energy technology. The 2 m x 2 m rectangular tower, approximately 15 m tall, has photovoltaic modules mounted on all 4 sides and contains the appropriate electronics so that it can function as a stand-alone or grid-connected electrical power generator. The Tower allows students and researchers at BCIT to study the development of new designs for building-integrated photovoltaics and related devices, and to explore the success of commercial applications.
The British Columbia Institute of Technology, led by the Group for Advanced Information Technology, designed the intelligent micro-grid which will serve as a test bed for further development of this technology. The system, which is the first of its kind in BC, is a network of smart meters and controllers connected through monitoring devices to build a smarter and more secure power grid. The micro-grid enables utility and technology providers to set up a central system using computer software and PLCs (Power Line Communication) which can make smart decisions aiming to optimize power distribution and usage. Older existing devices can be integrated with newer technologies such as wind, solar, and bio-fuels and be better managed.
BCIT’s aspirational goal is to reduce our energy and material consumption, our Ecological Footprint, by 75%.
“The Intelligent Micro-grid – a scaled down version of the Intelligent Grid – will enable utility providers, technology providers, and researchers to work together to test and improve architectures, protocols, configurations, and models. This will in turn enable the evolution of the Intelligent Grid and chart a path from the lab to the field for innovative and costefficient technologies and solutions for British Columbia's Intelligent Micro-grid”
SOLAR CANOPY
In August 2008, a Solar Canopy system was installed in one of BCIT’s buildings as a collaborative project between BCIT and Dr. Lorne Whitehead from University of British Columbia. The Solar Canopy project comes as an alternative to reduce energy consumption and provide light for spaces that require quality illumination throughout the day such as office spaces or institutions. Fluorescent lights are the common source of light in office buildings, accounting for more than a third of the electrical energy used; solar canopies can reduce energy consumption for lighting by at least 25%. The idea is to capture sunlight using flexible and adjustable mirrors and transport the light into the core of a building. The light guide is similar to a “tunnel” that conveys light through reflective walls up to 20 metres inside the core building. All over the world, sunlight is abundant, and many people prefer sunlight over artificial fluorescent lighting. The major advantage is that this technology is environmentally positive and makes the most of our most important free energy supplier: the Sun.
- Intelligent Microgrid Project
BENEFITS TO BCIT • • • • • •
Reduced energy costs, carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions Practical opportunities for BCIT students to learn about environmental technologies More efficient monitoring of energy usage and distribution Intelligent Grid can be used to detect and prevent electrical theft Solar Canopies can reduce energy consumption for lighting by at least 25% Building integrated solar photovoltaic systems can offset 3.3 tons of CO2 per year
BRITISH COLUMBIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY www.bcit.ca/sustainability
2010