The Business of Solar

Sometimes when I get caught up in all the talk about sustainability and saving the world, I forget about the fact I am a business student and should focus on how this project, and clean energy in general, will actually make money.  Part of the academic competition process was writing a business plan of our enterprise and how we would take it to market.

That was due last Monday, and I know I spent about 24 hours over the weekend editing, revising, polishing, and figuring out how to provide the best document possible.  I bet our project leader spent even more time, despite having multiple other projects due.  And our advisors were available on call to meet with us, answer questions, and gently steer us away from dead ends.  We won’t find out if we are accepted to the Environmental Innovation Challenge for a while, but it won’t be because we didn’t do the work.

One of the parts I was most proud of, that didn’t make it into the summary were the two markets I chose for us to focus on.  We went for a more general go-to-market approach, which was surely the better option, but I did a LOT of research.  So here’s one from an earlier draft.

Hawaii has the most expensive electricity in the United States at $.33 kWhr, and significant power generation still comes from coal and other fossil fuels.  However, the state is the first in the nation to decree that 100% of power generation must come from renewable sources by 2045.  While grid-supply agreements that allow customers to sell excess electricity to utilities have been popular and have almost reached imposed limits, self-supply systems are under-utilized.  A commercial property may not be able to export excess energy, but savings on purchased power would be significant. 

Hyatt Hotels Corporation is committed to sustainability at their properties in Hawaii as evidenced by their LEED- certified resort on Maui which includes a large solar farm.  The Hyatt Place on Waikiki is a building that is well-suited for solar window installation and, being constructed in 1976, is due for renovation. Additional windows could be added during redesign, as Hyatt did with their other property on Waikiki, the Hyatt Regency.  Partnering with a company with a property due for renovation and committed to sustainable practices is just one way windows manufacturers would enter this market. 

There are obviously problems with this concept, for one the fact that the Hyatt Place doesn’t HAVE a lot of windows.  But I am proud of the idea and how I backed it up.  When I started the project I never thought I would have an idea of how to sell windows on Oahu, but this experience has been enlightening and fulfilling… while also being a lot of work sometimes.

 

America FIRST?

The America First Energy Policy states three things, American energy is vital to the economy, security, and the environment.  Yet it leaves out solar, a source of energy that meets all three requirements.

Shale oil and clean coal are mentioned, both of which have harmful effects on the environment.  Last year Oklahoma, home to the shale oil boom and fracking operations, experienced over 1000 earthquakes of a magnitude of 3.0 or greater.  That’s up a fair bit from eight years ago.  998 to be exact.  A state that used to have 2 earthquakes a year now experiences almost 3 a DAY.

Beyond the debate about the misnomer “clean” coal, the industry is experiencing huge cost overruns and plant shutdowns.  In fact, not one clean coal plant is active in the United States.  And the coal industry has long been known for strip mining mountains and polluting streams.

So we’re 0-2 on environmental impact and economic benefit.  If only there were some answers!

Well, solar energy employs over 260,000 Americans in well-paying, domestic jobs.  The industry grew 95% last year according to Bloomberg.  Solar reduces reliance on OPEC oil and doesn’t cause earthquakes, polluted waterways, or carbon emissions.  It doesn’t even “kill all the birds” like the President asserts that wind turbines do.  Birds are not mentioned in the America First Energy Plan, but are apparently a concern for our President.

Solar puts America (and birds) first, not the alternatives.

Pictures of the chemistry team at work

Here’s some of the recent work of the chemistry team with quantum dots.

Benefits of Interdisciplinary Work

A 2013 article by Bridle, Vrieling, Cardillo, Araya, and Hinojosa speaks to the benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary teams and how the future is likely to be shaped by such work as teams like this become more popular.  While the article primarily focuses on researchers in the early stages of their career, the application to academic teams is easily seen.

The WWU Solar Window Project links studentsin the fields of Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Design, and Business in order to create and demonstrate a functioning window that generates electricity from sunlight.  Without each member of the team’s input we could not formulate the prototype or enter it into academic competition.  And by being exposed to different perspectives and approaches, our academic work outside the team is broadened and elevated.

The benefits of an increased number of knowledge bases working on different approaches to problems might seem obvious.  More resources allotted tend to deliver better results.  In addition, we learn how to communicate with those outside our own sphere and alter the language we use to be more clearly understood.  The use of jargon and shorthand falls away and we can fully and freely construct and explain our arguments and conclusions.

There are of course challenges to grouping dissimilar learning styles and experiences in one room.  Interdisciplinary teams often take a longer time to jell and must be aware of the way they communicate in order to alter it to fit team dynamics. A balance towards one discipline, or set of disciplines, can tilt the group in that direction and limit contribution from others.  The Solar Window project has deftly sidestepped that by putting an Industrial Design student as the project leader, a discipline that has much experience balancing the scientific method with real-world limitations.

I know I am thankful for the opportunity to contribute to this project and am sure that it has exposed me to perspectives and people that I would have never come into contact with otherwise.

Sustainable building

Two technologies that are changing the way buildings are constructed are solar tiles and super-efficient windows.  Solar tiles are improvement over regular roofing tiles, which are constructed using energy intensive processes and only protect the building from the elements.  Unlike traditional roof-mounted panels, solar tiles are incorporated directly into building construction and both protect and generate energy.

Triple-glazed windows use three layers of glass with krypton injected between panes for insulation purposes.  In addition, the fully insulated frames used to mount them also contribute to the energy savings.  Since up to 30% of a building’s heating and cooling energy is lost from the windows, triple glazed construction can contribute to significant savings, even if they are more expensive to produce.

The Western Washington Solar Window project seeks to combine both these cutting edge technologies into one product.  The group at Western is composed of Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Design, and Business majors creating a window that is no only efficient, but also generates electricity.  Not only does this save on energy costs, but it is a huge step towards sustainable and carbon-neutral construction.

The team will be participating in upcoming academic competitions, developing a prototype and business plan for this exciting project.

Solar Dead-End?

Tourouvre au Perche, a village in France that I am destined to keep Ctrl-Ving, made news last month in unveiling the first solar road.  The one kilometer stretch of street is made up of 2800 solar panels coated with resin and silicon and engineered to withstand traffic.

Critics have complained of the cost, 10 million euro, and the fact that the Normandy region where the road was built only receives 44 days of strong sunshine a year.  Proponents claim that the road is a technological advance that will provide information about solar panel durability and efficiency.

Washington State has seen some the same claims.  Our rainy climate coupled with low cost of power has critics wondering why the state supports solar panel advancement.  Western Washington University’s solar window could be a huge step forward in solar technology, its effects would benefit the state, the country, and the world at large.  Seems like a pretty good investment to me.

Image from: The Guardian

WWU Solar Window Project

Making energy from the sun is not a new idea, but students and faculty at Western Washington University are hoping to create windows that can generate power.  The windows would be almost as transparent as regular glass, but would add a photovoltaic cell to the frame as well as sensors that can communicate with the HVAC system.  The result would be a step towards carbon-neutral communities.

Last year the interdisciplinary team planned the concept and prototype and submitted the Phase 1 results to academic, environmental, and industrial design competitions winning $75,000 from the EPA.  Phase II this year includes creation of a working prototype and entry into competition this spring.

Contributions have been made from faculty in the Colleges of Business and Economics and Science and Engineering as well as students from the Industrial Design, Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, and Business programs.  While a prototype is our stated goal, the benefit to working across programs and sharing alternative perspectives cannot be overlooked.

Our progress will be documented here so stop back to read about our efforts towards sustainability through innovation and cooperation.