Rachel, Layton, Stacy, Kate, and Olivia

NCLC 103
Austin Gallas
April 21, 2014
Research Summary
Our group has chosen solar paneling in the Johnson Center as our topic of for the Group
Design Project. We have researched several aspects of this method as a way to benefit both
students and employees here at George Mason. To begin, we used the EPA website to be a
resource for the general and less specific information about solar panels. There are two types of
solar energy that are produced: passive and active. Passive solar energy produces heat and
lighting, while active solar energy produces electricity using a technology called Solar
Photovoltaic (EPA). Solar paneling not only saves people money on heating and electric bills,
but more importantly saves our planet. The natural lighting, heating, and electricity comes from
sunlight, rather than unrenewable fossil fuels (EPA). These fossil fuels result in harmful
emissions that contribute to the current global warming crisis.
Consequently, our groups main goal is to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used in
everyday consumption (or at least at George Mason University). In order to do this we must
move solar cell technology from the laboratory to mass production and large scale applications
(Edelson). Edward Edelson, MIT professor and Daily News science editor, approaches this goal
from more of an economic standpoint, saying that in the long run, solar photovoltaic (PV) energy
will be a key player in cheap efficiency, predicting a brighter future with PV energy. Large
scale applications of solar power will effectively reduce the load of conventional power plants
during the day, causing what will be a domino effect in the natural world (Edelson). Wark
Worthy, editor of Chemical and Engineering News, further sheds light upon this issue by stating
how much we have progressed. Over the past 40 years, PV-generated electricity has declined
from $600/watt to $4-5/watt (Worthy). With these decreasing prices, technological advances
have boomed giving solar panels the power to obtain more energy per watt and achieve better
efficiency. From an economic perspective, solar paneling on the Johnson Center would be a
smart and worthwhile idea.
More in-depth research was done by Probst and Roecker in their article entitled Solar
Energy Systems in Architecture. The article defines solar energy as "a clean, unlimited and
almost infinite energy source, providing each hour on earth as much energy as the whole world
needs in a year" (Probst and Roecker). The article talks about solar panels from an architectural
perspective, which is helpful when trying to make changes to a building on campus. Different
types and models of solar panels are discussed, such as laminate solar panels vs. using panels on
a regular roof. In a comparison of different solar technologies relating to domestic hot water
(like in showers and faucets), the combination of industrial heat and solar cooling would give
George Mason 75% efficiency over a longer temperature range (Probst and Roecker).
A similar source by Keith Robertson and Andreas Athienitis also discusses solar panels
from an architecture/economic standpoint. A single-glazed glass 6mm thick would allow 80
percent light and energy into the solar battery, while reflecting 29 percent back out along with
the radiation (Robertson and Athienitis). Also, the window frames themselves can save energy.
Ten to 20 percent of the window area on a building like the JC contributes up to fifty percent of
window heat loss (Robertson and Athienitis). With careful framing, the JC could store that
energy and further use it to power using solar energy. At Mason, solar glazing, which allows
light and energy into the building while allowing people to see out the building like a window
may be the best option for such large windows. This source helped us to be able to figure out
exactly how much energy could be used, should we want an exact measurement.
In addition, Kalogirous article discusses solar panels from a combination of
perspectives. The article entitled Environmental Benefits of Domestic Solar Energy Systems,
made it clear that the initial cost of building these solar panel systems was high. These costs are
one of the potential obstacles that our group had discussed. However, over time these systems
would essentially begin paying for themselves due to the fact that generating solar energy does
not require costly, large-scale mining or drilling operations (Kalogirou). More importantly, the
multiple environmental benefits of implementing these alternate energy systems worldwide is
phenomenal and simply cannot be ignored (Kalogirou). Solar power systems have the unique
ability of generating clean, pure energy from the sun. When you install these panels, you are
helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our collective dependence on fossil fuels.
According to the scholarly article Environmental Impacts from the Solar Energy
Technologies written by Theocharis Tsoutsos, solar panels produce efficient amounts of
electrical power without waste or emissions. This is done through a natural process called
photovoltaics. In addition, since panel arrays can be placed on rooftops or in isolated desert
areas, solar power's physical footprint is manageable as well. It is common knowledge that fossil
fuels are nonrenewable sources of energy that must be burned in order to produce electricity.
Burning them creates unwanted byproducts that have created a large amount of air and water
pollution over time. Another consequence of burning these materials is that large amounts of
greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere, which installing solar panels would help to
eliminate.
We plan to use all of these sources to create a cohesive, well organized campaign
for solar panels on the Johnson Center. All sources from economic, environmental and
architectural perspectives support that our idea would be beneficial to our school and its students.
However, our group recognizes that the biggest benefit that this research and this project will
reap is that our school is making steps to help the environment. We hope to help more people
understand how beneficial all around this idea would be if implemented.

Bibliography
Edelson, Edward. "Solar Cell Update." Popular Science 240.6 (1992): 95. ProQuest.
Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
Kalogirou, S. "Environmental Benefits Of Domestic Solar Energy Systems." Energy
Conversion and Management 45.18-19 (2004): 3075-3092. Print.
Probst, MC Munari, and C Roecker. "Solar Energy Systems in Architecture.
"The International Energy Agency (IEA) (2012). Web. 21 April 2014.
Robertson, Keith, and Andreas Athienitis. "Solar Energy for Buildings." Canada
Mortgage and Housing Corportation (2010). Web. 21 April 2014.
"Solar Energy and Global Climate Change in New England | US EPA." EPA.
Environmental Protection Agency, 28 Feb. 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
Tsoutsos, Theocharis, Niki Frantzeskaki, and Vassilis Gekas. "Environmental Impacts
From The Solar Energy Technologies." Energy Policy 33.3 (2005): 289-296. Print.
Worthy, Wark. "Solar." Chemical and Engineering News 69.24 (1991): 41. ProQuest.
Web. 21 Apr. 2014.