Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

City Of New Smyrna Beach Solar Feasibility Assessment -- City Hall Annex, Florida Solar Energy Center, Charles Withers, Jr.

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This review and solar assessment is organized by component with brief description of intended details, challenges and recommendations.

Building: City of New Smyrna Beach, City Hall Annex (Renovation of a portion of the Historic First Baptist Church of New Smyrna Beach) Year of Construction: 1920's[1] Building Use: Renovation will create spaces for City workers and a new City Council Chambers Conditioned area: 1^st floor = 7856 ft² 2^nd floor = 3,967 ft² Total = 11,823 ft²[2]

[1] New Smyrna Beach Property Appraiser's website states 1920, historic marker states circa 1929. [2] New Smyrna …

Ahata Solar Energy Resort Training Program, Florida Solar Energy Center, William Young

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The Florida Solar Energy Center/University of Central Florida developed a Solar Energy Resort Training Program at the request of Aruba Bucuti Beach Resort Association, Aruba (AHATA) in the Caribbean Islands. The Aruba Resort Association has been interested in learning about and applying renewable energy technologies to their resorts to reduce energy consumption and cost. This report describes the activities and implementation of Florida Solar Energy Center's support to the Association to assist in the consulting, education and implementation of solar energy technologies into the resort industry in the country.

Solar Dhw Collector Thermal Performance Ratings, Florida Solar Energy Center, John Harrison

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Thermal performance ratings, derived from the FSEC testing and certification program, are a useful tool in comparing the efficiency and economics of various flat-plate solar collectors. Since collectors used in domestic hot water (DHW) systems typically operate in the intermediate temperature range (1200F-1600F), this is the rating provided for comparisons. It must be stressed that these comparisons are only a guide and should not be considered as a rank ordering of collectors. Such considerations as component sizing and proper installation procedures are equally important in determining a system's overall efficiency. In addition, because of the variability of weather conditions, instrumentation …

Sunsmart Community Partnerships: Summary And Lessons Learned Report, Florida Solar Energy Center, Jennifer Szaro

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Through a working partnership with the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA), the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), the Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA), the Legal Environmental Assistance Foundation (LEAF), and FMEA member utilities, the SunSmart program offers a unified, low-cost solution to providing municipal electric customers with a solar energy option. It also provides its member utilities with a high level of technical and administrative support to alleviate concerns about working with an unfamiliar electric generation technology. It relies on a core team to develop a standardized marketing and public outreach plan which can be utilized by all participants, and …

Investigation Of Reflective Materials For The Solar Cooker, Florida Solar Energy Center, John Harrison

FSEC Energy Research Center®

A critical task in developing a solar cooker is to identify reflector materials that would be both suitable for this application as well as economical. FSEC has conducted an extensive search for available reflective materials. This has included contacting reflective materials manufacturers as well as national laboratories that are currently working with private industry in developing reflector that can be used primarily on large concentrating solar energy devices. This investigation used a variety of resources. These included the FSEC solar library, web search engines, solar industry catalogs and directories, personal contacts, aluminum industry sources, solar cooker discussion groups, and a …

Developing An Implementation Plan For The Arkansas Msri Coalition Workshop Summary - Final Report, Florida Solar Energy Center, Jennifer Szaro

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Workshop conducted to develop an implementation plan for the Arkansas Million Solar Roofs Initiative.

Developing An Implementation Plan For The Alaskan Msri Coalition Workshop Summary - Final Report, Florida Solar Energy Center, Gerard Ventre

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Workshop conducted to develop and implementation plan for the Alaskan Million Solar Roofs Initiative.

Developing An Implementation Plan For The Idaho Msri Partnership Workshop Summary - Final Report, Florida Solar Energy Center, Jennifer Szaro

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Workshop conducted to develop an implementation plan for the Idaho Million Solar Roofs Initiative.

Solar Photovoltaic Air Conditioning Of Residential Buildings, Florida Solar Energy Center, Danny Parker

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The use of photovoltaics (PV) for residential air conditioning (AC) represents an attractive application due to the close match between the diurnal cooling load and the availability of solar radiation. Conventional wisdom suggests that air conditioning is a process too energy intensive to be addressed by PV. Previous investigations have concentrated on the feasibility of matching PV output to vapor-compression machines, and the cost effectiveness of other solar cooling options. Recently, Japanese manufacturers have introduced small (8,000 Btu/hr) grid-connected solar assisted AC systems. These small room-sized systems are inadequately sized to meet air conditioning peak demands in larger U.S. homes …

Barriers To Commercialization Of Solar Energy In Florida, Florida Solar Energy Center, Colleen Kettles

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Florida has a distinct history of solar system development and use. Solar systems have been operating in the State since the 1920s. During the past several decades, solar technologies have advanced and matured, as have the business entities that deliver solar products to the end user. Solar products made in Florida are U.S. and world industry leaders. Quality control measures, such as collector and system testing and certification, contractor training and licensing, and follow-up site inspection, have assured consumer confidence in solar equipment and installation.

Limiting Solar Radiation Effects On Outdoor Air Temperature Measurement, Florida Solar Energy Center, Robin Vieira

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This experimental study compares various methods of reducing the effects of solar radiation on outdoor air temperature measurements. It indicates that radiation effects can introduce significant measurement error, even with the use of shielding devices and aspiration, and outlines efforts that were taken to lessen the error caused by radiation.

Two separate tests were conducted, one comparing naturally ventilated and fan-aspirated radiation shields, the other comparing seven identical fan-aspirated shields. Results from the first test showed that one of the naturally ventilated shields was generally more effective than a fan- aspirated unit-at some instances of high radiation giving daytime temperatures …

Solar Energy In Florida, Florida Solar Energy Center, Carolyn King Burns

FSEC Energy Research Center®

To understand Florida's position in the development of solar technologies it's necessary to visualize a bigger picture. Currently, the United States spends over $38 billion per year for crude oil and petroleum product imports, whereas appropriations for research and development on solar energy technology total less than $120 million per year.

Not only do we operate within a global economy, we also operate within a global environment. If the greenhouse effect and global climate change force nations to drastically reduce carbon dioxide emissions, there are very few alternatives to fossil fuels for power production. In a world of dwindling energy …

Sun Position In Florida, Florida Solar Energy Center, Ross Mccluney

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Described herein is a procedure for determining the path of the sun through the Florida sky relative to a solar collector array, a window, a skylight or an entire building - information needed by architects, engineers and others for shading and orientation calculations involved in active and passive building design. It can be used for positioning exterior shading devices for maximum benefit. This information can also be used to pinpoint solar collector shading problems.