The Traveler

Issue date: 4/13/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Lana Hazel A patron of the Fayetteville Public Library leaves the building Monday, April 6. Library officials recently announced plans to continue the library's commitment to sustainability by installing solar panels on the roof.

Officials from the Fayetteville Public Library, one of the first public libraries to register as a U.S. Green Building, recently announced plans to further the library's commitment to sustainability.

The library received a $60,000 grant to install 48 solar panels on the roof of the library that will provide 10 kilowatts of energy, said Louise Schaper, the library's executive director.

"Through this grant, the library will save energy, provide a platform for local innovators to test their technologies and provide a real world learning opportunity for the community," Schaper said.

The solar panels will be added in the fall to correspond with the UA's upcoming semester. They are to be "designed, constructed and installed by students," Schaper said, and senior-level electrical engineering students will work on the project during the fall semester with oversight from professors in the department.

Alan Mantooth, director of the National Center for Reliable Electrical Power, is one of the electrical engineering professors involved in the project.

The panels will be mounted on a rotating frame designed to follow the sun throughout the day and maximize energy output. In addition to providing power to the library, they will reduce energy use and the carbon footprint. The higher efficiency both supports sustainability and helps the library save on costs.

After six months of monitoring, the standard inverter for the panels will be replaced by a silicon carbide inverter for better efficiency. Over time, more panels will be added using thin-cell solar technology being developed at the UA.

With an $8,500 pledge from the Arkansas Energy Office, the library will set up a kiosk, also designed by students, that explains how the solar panels generate power for the library and how the power is being used. It will display energy data in real-time while discussing the importance of renewable energy.

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