A new installation at the 北科罗拉多大学 gives new meaning to the 术语向日葵.

The artificial plant placed at the corner of 14th Avenue and Reservoir Road is bound to get noticed as the university continues to reduce its carbon footprint with innovative 方法.

Nicknamed the Solar Flower, the device was installed on the front lawn of UNC的csamar Chávez文化中心 last month and provides 2,500 watts of power to meet the majority of the center’s 需要. . The life expectancy of the Solar Flower is 25 years and will generate a total of 125,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) during that time, which is 5,000 kWh per year.

Mimicking a blooming flower, it automatically opens its circular array of solar panels and tracks the sun throughout the day for maximum exposure. 它被设计成关闭 in case of threatening weather to protect the solar panels, such as wind speeds over 30英里每小时. When closed, small brushes clean the panels to ensure dust and 其他颗粒不会降低效率.

观看活动中的太阳花的延时播放:

UNC’s Student 领导 for 环境al Action Fund (LEAF) committee, made up entirely of students, led the effort to select and purchase the Solar Flower to “reduce our campus’s carbon footprint by utilizing renewable energy and offsetting our fossil fuel emissions,” said Emmy Scott, a junior double-majoring in 环境al and 可持续性 Studies and 业务 Management as well as Student LEAF’s grant coordinator.

The Chávez center was chosen because of the building’s size and location that provided accessibility for the installation and visibility for the community to learn more 博天堂官方网站太阳能.

“I believe UNC is the first university to have a SmartFlower west of the Mississippi, but definitely in and west of Colorado,” said Patrick Honegger, owner of Green Force 电气谁安装的设备. “除了可持续发展，博天堂官方还参与了 showing people what solar can be and how it can look.”

The project was funded through student fees that are automatically allotted to Student LEAF ($1 per enrolled credit, and up to $10 per student per semester). View other projects that were initiated through Student LEAF.

“The overall goal with the project is to offset the energy that the Chávez center uses with renewable energy, while encouraging and empowering students to learn about transforming campus with innovative technology, such as the Solar Flower,” said Scott.

The Solar Flower is the latest in a number of solar projects initiated at UNC. 可持续性 has a long history on campus that has largely been driven by students, faculty and 工作人员. 博天堂官方的其他举措包括:

• Working with McKinstry, an energy construction and engineering company, through energy retrofits and a conservation program called powerED, UNC was 获得了Xcel能源公司颁发的奖项 in April for most energy saved using a self-directed program. 综合的结果 2016年7月以来的工作:
  • Over $2 million of cumulative cost avoidance against a weather-adjusted baseline
  • 每年节约32%的能源和水
  • Carbon reduction of 27,428 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (mtCO2e)
• Installation of solar array on Parsons Hall later this summer that’s expected to produce 4.7 million kWh of electricity overall, saving UNC an estimated $176,500 over the 系统寿命.
• Implementation of numerous energy and water-conservation projects including light and equipment upgrades, building and irrigation controls, low-flow technologies, recycling, composting, green cleaning, xeriscaping and IT power and printing management.
• 被指定为 Tree Campus U.S.A. 校园和 单车友好大学.

In the near future, all of UNC’s solar-powered systems will automatically feed data into an online dashboard that will be used to see actual energy generation as well as in meteorology, physics and sustainability classes.

The students involved in writing the original proposal include: UNC graduate Katie Fletcher, former Student LEAF grant coordinator; Marie Lee, former Green Team director who led the effort in planning the installation in 2018 (右图); and Scott, who wrote the official proposal for the project. 汤姆·吉吉，主管 in the UNC Utility Systems Conservation’s Electrical Shop, the UNC Landscaping and Grounds Department, and the rest of the installation team were also involved in this 项目的成功.

了解更多:

• 博天堂官方学生叶
• 博天堂官方的可持续发展
• 博天堂官方可持续发展倡议传单(PDF)
• Smartflower太阳能

冲击波的 Katie-Leigh订单.