Intro:

A prevalent problem plaguing high schools, dorm rooms, and office buildings alike is
waste. What can often be saved or re-used is often thrown away without second thought on the
notion of there being a limitless supply. And while this idea may be true for the time being, it
certainly wont hold up forever. Wasted paper towels in
restrooms embody this principle perfectly. A study
conducted by University of California San Diegos
Ecology Department (SDED) revealed that 20% to
40% of all waste in office buildings are derived from
used paper towels. This sizeable amount of waste can
easily be reduced, if not totally eliminated, with a simple investment in promising technology.
Hand driers placed in school bathrooms present themselves as a unique solution to this
problem. They accomplish the task of drying hands, obviously, thus preventing the need for
paper towels in restrooms. They are (most likely) easy to
integrate into existing restrooms, as most public facilities outside
of school already contain at least one. Likewise, a single hand
drier, used over a certain period of time, can break even with its
initial cost; paper towels cannot.
However, a hand drier is by no means without any
external costs. To produce the hot hair and to blow it out at high enough velocities to evaporate
water requires electricity, which isnt free. As cheap as it may be, electricity costs are typically
compounded over time, resulting in surprising

prices if not conserved or used properly.

Furthermore, a survey conducted by the American Green Schools Initiative (AGSI) discovered

that high school students are likely to: 1. use the hand dryer more than once on a single occasion.
2. press the activation button without using the dryer. Again, waste is the prime topic, and even a
solution meant to eliminate physical waste isnt immune to it.
This is where solar-powered hand dryers come in. Basically, our new and improved hand
dryers would be completely solar-powered. What we would be doing is attaching solar panels to
the roof of our bathrooms and the hand dryers would be generated through these panels. This
would be a summer-long project and depending on how
many workers we have working on the installment, it is
possible that the project will be completed within the
first few weeks of summer. This project would also be
clean and efficient because we wouldnt be replacing the
whole roof and we would just be adding a couple of
solar panels on top of the roof. The only construction that would need to be done is connecting
the wires from the panel to the hand dryer down the walls. Other than that, there really isnt any
major construction to be made.
Going back to the paper towels, recycling is also an option, but it comes with difficulty.
Not all paper towels are used for drying wet hands and according to Jim Gogek from the
University of California at San Diego, Theres hardly any fiber left in them to recycle, so its
worth it. In addition, paper towels create a lot of pollution. Decomposing paper towels produce
methane gas which increases the danger of global warming. Also,
an average person uses about 2,400-3,000 paper towels per day,
which equals a large amount of air pollution. To just make one ton
of paper towel, 17 trees and 20,000 gallons of water are used.

There is also the problem with electric hand dryers. The first problem with hand dryers is
the fact that dryers have a timeframe for how long it can last. Most of the time, dryers can only
last between 7 to 10 years. On average, about 19.71kWh of energy is used for three times a day
for a year and this equals about 26.61 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.
Not all new models of hand dryers are efficient. The calculations are dependent on how
much the local power grid generates in kilowatt-hour. Also the creation of hand dryers are
neglected. Making the hand dryers involves industrial development which means more pollution.
There is a study done at a college campus to compare the environmental impact of hand
dryers versus the impact of paper towels. Because paper towels are becoming a significant
source of solid waste, this experiment was conducted. Dyson Airblade hand dryers, which are
hand dryers that use unheated air than the conventional hand dryers that use a wide jet of heated
hair, are installed in male and female bathrooms. Paper towels are also present in the bathrooms.
Afterwards, a user survey was conducted to see which ones are used more often. The results state
that 64.6% of the users chose paper towels over hand dryers. The ironic thing is that the life
cycle and environmental impact of the hand dryers are less than the paper towels but more
people use the paper towels. To be specific, the Dyson Airblades carbon footprint of the
Airblade disposed by landfill and with recycling would be .0041 CO2 eq kg per use and .0043
CO2 eq kg per use, respectively. And the paper towels carbon footprint is .029 CO2 eq kg per
use. Overall, the environmental impact of the Dyson Airblade compared to the paper towels is
80% better.Although the initial cost of installing solar powered hand dryers definitely outweigh
the costs of a simply electric hand dryers, It seems that a standard green hand dryer would cost
around $1000. For the installation of a solar powered to happen, a more intensive procedure must

be undertaken, in the sense that youd have to install solar panels on the roof. The estimated cost
for the solar panels expect to cost around 1.5 times as much as an electric hand dryer.
In conclusion, the result of the study revealed that if students were to choose the hand
dryer over the paper towels, there will be a reduction of the harmful environmental pollution and
carbon footprint. However, to take this solution to the next level, we propose that the hand dryers
run by the use of solar power instead of electricity.

What is Sol-Dry?
Our product is a hand dryer powered by solar energy.
Photovoltaic (PV) cells are packaged into solar panels that are used to convert
sunlight into electricity. These
panels are made of materials that
are able to capture a portion of
light that hits them. The resulting
energy can be used immediately,
or stored for later use in the form
of batteries.
The hand dryer will be
made up of die-cast zinc alloy
and stainless steel to provide lightweight, unbreakable, rustproof and long-lasting
durability.
The solar panels are silicon based modules so the panels can be recycled once
used up.

Benefits:
The use of sunlight for energy is extremely beneficial to the environment, as it
does not give off carbon dioxide emissions and is essentially limitless.

 Another benefit is that solar power can be used in conjunction with other forms of
energy - for example, connecting the building(s) to a utility grid, to allow for buying
energy when there is not enough sunlight - if so desired. Otherwise, a building can
function solely on its own power, resulting in immediate savings, and savings in the
future when the prices of alternative energy sources increase.
Solar panels are best integrated into the building plan of a structure, so the angle
of inclination (ideally pointing towards true south and angled close to the areas latitude)
they are constructed at can be adjusted to take full advantage of the suns energy).
It is likely that the cost of building and maintaining a solar power system will
decrease as technology becomes more efficient, while the cost of electricity rises.
We believe that the solar powered hand dryers can help sanitation. By effectively
drying our hands, these solar powered air dryers can get rid of bacteria and thus contain
any bacteria that could possibly spread.
At our school, the hand dryers are very inefficient. As students, we can testify to
this fact. The hand dryers rarely operate, and if so, they fail to dry our hands long enough.
The hand dryers can help solve this problem. The school will use less energy as a result
of these solar powered hand dryers. In addition, these hand dryers can help students clean
their hands extremely well. If theres anything that this school needs and can do anything
to help save the environment, the school can utilize this product.
Solar panels can still be easily added to a structure. Calculations of
meteorological data about average sunlight levels and other factors help to determine the
ideal design for solar panels, and what alternative power source should be considered if
necessary. It is important to note that the form of energy that the sunlight produces must
match that form used by the hand driers. In the event that they are not, an inverter must
be installed to convert the energy into the correct form. Once all components are
installed, the solar power system will require little maintenance and provide energy
cleanly, efficiently, and quietly.

How Sol-Dry Works:

1. There is a solar panel on the top of the roof of where the bathrooms are located.

2. The hand dryer itself will powered by wind and the solar energy will generate a
flow of air. When the air flows quickly over wet hands, the water evaporates and the
hands dry.
3. The panels will have a layer. There will be a solar board on the outside. Inside,
there will be a oxone maker, ozone disseminator, and a
backup battery.
4.
The solar panels will have a flexible thinfilm modules.
5.
Since this is a roof-mount solar power
system, pole mounts are needed to attach to the roof
structure and rails to hold the panels in place.
6.
Wires will be attached to the panels and to
the hand dryer. There will be an electrical current going
through the panels into the machine.

Feasible:
We believe that theses solar powered air dryers are very effective as it is seen to
be a growing trend here in the United States of America. As schools modernize and
accustom to new technological advances, we must realize that we should embrace such
progress to help resolve the problems our school faces.
Schools are usually built in open areas that do not get much shade, and have wide,
flat rooftops. As a result they will be able to utilize solar energy efficiently.
School fundraisers can be implemented to raise money for installation.

Backup System:
Of course, solar panels may not work consecutively due to rain or cloudy days. There is a
back up system for the solar panels. The backup system utilizes batteries to store excess energy
gathered throughout the day. The benefits of
using a battery-based backup are:
1. Silent, safe, and
always on

2. It will be hardwired into the solar panels so if the solar panels fail,
the battery can be generated.
3. The batteries can work well with different electrical generators.
4. The batteries are expandable.

Works Cited
"Eco Friendly Hand Dryers." Eco Friendly Hand Dryers. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2015.
"The Footprint of Restroom Hand Dryers - Conservation." Conservation RSS. N.p., 11 Dec.
2013. Web. 02 June 2015.
"Green Design Blog." Green Design Blog Solar Powered Hand Drier and Cleaner Comments.
N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2015.
"Hand Dryer by Dyson Uses 83% Less Energy: The Airblade." TreeHugger. N.p., n.d. Web. 02
June 2015.

"How Does Solar Power Work?" How Does Solar Power Work? N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2015.
"How Does Solar Power Work?" Scientific American Global RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2015.
"Introduction and Problem Statement." Location Theory (2005): 331-40. Web. 02 June 2015.
Koerner, Brendan. "Are Electric Hand Dryers Better for the Environment than Paper Towels?"
N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2015.
"PeopleTowels - the Newest Concept in Sustainability." PeopleTowels - the Newest Concept in
Sustainability. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2015.
Toothman, Jessika, and Scott Aldous. HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, n.d. Web. 02 June
2015.
"The Use and Abuse of Paper Towels." Green The Use and Abuse of Paper Towels Comments.
N.p., 29 Dec. 2008. Web. 02 June 2015.

setbacks and Hurdles

Although the installment of Sol-Dry, our solar powered hand dryer, will provide our
school with many environmental and economic benefits, the process itself has provided us with
certain setbacks and hurdles.
To start off, our first problem occurred when attempting to assess the costs and economic
benefits of our product. The main problem relating to this issue was ascertaining current
electrical/paper towel costs for our school. We had to estimate the costs through online research.
Another related computational hurdle was the fact that we werent able to completely
calculate the costs for our product to be installed. As we didnt know what the cost of our

specific dimensions of the solar panels needed , we also werent able to fully add up the cost for
installation.
Additional setbacks include the development of the solar power system itself and figuring
out where in the school the components would be installed. Designing an appropriate backup
power system also proved difficult.
Difficulties of the actual building process will include having to almost completely
remodel the bathroom designs in order to install new hand dryers and the solar panels in the roof.
Also, the addition of batteries would take up a considerable amount of space in the school.
Gathering the required amount of funds for construction could potentially be difficult, but may
not be if grants can be provided from the government or environmentally associations.
Ultimately, all the effort and obstacles will be worth the final payoff of clean, affordable energy.

Tabulated Costs of the Project

These costs were generated by one of Sol-Drys financial analysts.

Installation Costs for Cerritos High School

Total Pieces Needed

16

Price Per Device

$900

Total Cost of System

$14,400

Executive Summary-Cash Purchase

System Size

2400 kw

Annual Power Generation

38400 kw

Gross Cost

$97, 516.88

Federal Tax Credit

$29, 255.06

Net Cost of System after rebates and

incentives

$68, 261.82

Pay Back Time

5.47 years

Internal Rate of Return on Investment

16.8%