Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Solar 2007: Florida's Emergency Shelters Go Solar, Florida Solar Energy Center, William Young

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Florida has its fair share of dangerous weather conditions including hurricanes, tornados and floods. Florida legislature passed various laws and made revisions addressing disaster planning which required that the Department of Education, in consultation with school boards and county and state emergency management offices, develop design standards for public shelters to be incorporated into State Requirements for Educational Facilities.

Last year, Solar for Schools, a state program, provided funds to put photovoltaic systems on schools that are classified as shelters, adding a new dimension to the educational program. Middleton High School is an example of an application to power the …

Solar Energy For Disaster Response Using Space Program Resources, Florida Solar Energy Center, William Young

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Satellite pictures, solar radiation levels on the earth's surface, Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) and other space-related resources are available through the efforts of many people and organizations. Satellites' measurements of these resources can be integrated with resources on earth to assess damage from disasters and evaluate resources available to respond. Space-related resources are currently being used by the American Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, county Emergency Managers and other organizations. The widest use is in evaluating utility resources and deploying them for repair and emergency power in response to a disaster. Today's use of state-of-the-art satellite and Geographic …