Campus Renewable Energy INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

1) Design and create an environmentally friendly way to alleviate the high demand for

power by Geisel Library.

2) Combine solar panel energy with a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell in place of a battery to eliminate environmentally toxic

byproducts, making our project “green”!

CURRENT DESIGN

PATH FORWARD

Although the University of California, San Diego is powered through a microgrid, it still relies on a large amount of non-renewable fuel to power its campus.

Geisel Library is one of the top ranked public academic libraries in our nation and the heart of our school. It attracts both students and guests with its vast resources, but one can imagine the amount of energy this library consumes each day. In 2015, Geisel consumed on a monthly average 475,000 kWh, which costs approximately $25,000 per month.

In order to limit Geisel’s consumption of non-renewable energy, our system seeks to employ solar panels and PEM fuel cells.

Project Manager: Giahan NguyenMembers: Jennifer Chin, Nathaniel de Los Santos, Clarence Go, Nabila Hussain, Serina Huang, Joshua Navarro, Chanh Nguyen, Tsai Wen Sung,

Alan Tam, Khanh Tran, Wilton Woo

Figure 1. Block diagram of current process design

OUR VISION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr. Opatkiewicz - Project AdvisorDr. Kleissl - Project AdvisorDr. Nguyen - Project AdvisorAndrew Elgar - E.E wizardScott McAvoy - Geisel representativeAnna Dickson - A.S. Funding Manager

Figures 2-3. Relay and Light Sensing Circuit Diagrams

The prototype is designed to test the effectiveness of current switching mechanisms, which will regulate the current flow between the solar panel, fuel cell, and load. Through the prototype, we were able to charge a phone with the standard voltage input of 5V.

RESULTS

May 22, 2016 AIChE Projects - Prototype Showcase