Solar Power for Agriculture and Our
Experiences at the Middlesex County
EARTH Center
Rutgers Cooperative Extension
William T. Hlubik
Agricultural and Resource Management Agent
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County
New Jerseyy Agricultural
g
Experiment
p
Station
Rutgers University
Costs and Considerations
• Size of system
• Pitch and orientation of
roof
• Roof strength
• Geographic location
• Federal or state programs
to reduce costs
Orientation
• JANUARY 55 DEGRESS
• FEBRUARY 45 DEGREES
• MARCH 45 DEGREES
• APRIL 35 DEGREES
• MAY 25 DEGREES
• JUNE 15 DEGREES
• JULY 15 DEGREES
• AUGUST 25 DEGREES
• SEPTEMBER 35 DEGREES
• OCTOBER 45 DEGREES
• NOVEMBER 45 DEGREES
‰ DECEMBER 55 DEGREES
25 KW Mounted
Photovoltaic System
• Solar
S l energy is
i combined
bi d
into one DC circuit and sent
through conductors to the
pad mounted inverter.
• Inverter converts the DC
energy
e
e gy to AC
C po
power
e a
and
d
sends it back to an analog
watt hour meter located in
the aluminum enclosure
where the energy is metered
for reporting to the utility for
proper credits.
Farm System – Scenario 1
• 24 kW system
• $200,000 total
• Galvanized Aluminum
Support
• Costs $6 to $8 / watt
• $1 per watt offset NJ BPU =
$24,000
• Energy Savings 2008
$ 6,000
6 000
• 30 SREC’s at $400 to $600 =
• TOTAL
$15,000
$45,000
$
,
• 30 % tax credit
How Solar Panels Work
• Solar cells -photovoltaic cells,
convert sunlight into electricity
( h t = light,
(photo
li ht voltaic
lt i =
electricity).
• Originally, for use in space and
were costly for wider use.
• Researchers have found ways
to manufacture cheaper and
more efficient panels -becoming a widely used form of
renewable energy .
Make up
p of a p
photovoltaic cell
• Two thin sheets of a semiconductor, usually silicon.
• Photons from the sun -- absorbed by the sheet release
electrons
l t
t b
to
be ffreed.
d
• "Doping", a process of adding impurities to the silicon
silicon, is
used to increase the activity of free electrons. Doping
with phosphorous = negative charge This sheet of
silicon
ili
is
i called
ll d N-type
t
(" " ffor negative).
("n"
ti ) N
N--type
t
d
doped
d
silicon is a much better conductor than pure silicon.
Make up
p of a p
photovoltaic cell
• Doping with boron creates P-type,
type, positively charged,
silicon. Instead of having free electrons, P
P--type silicon
has a shortage of electrons
electrons, or "holes"
holes , in its outer shell.
shell
• When the two thin sheets of silicon are sandwiched
together, an electric field is established between them. If
a conductive pathway is introduced close to the electric
field there is an increase in the electric activity between
field,
the plates and some electrons cause a current to flow
through the conductor pathway.
How Solar Panels Work
Advantages
g of Solar
• Low maintenance
• No CO or CO2
• Local Energy
source
• Higher property
values (10% or
more)
Overview of Middlesex County
Solar Energy Project
Solar Power Specs
• 25 Kw System
• Mono Crystalline – 20%
•
•
Efficiency
Highest Efficiency
Crystalline
y
Cell
Manufactured by Sun
Power in USA and
Philippines – part of
Cypress Semi
Semi--Condutor
Solar Collectors
• 12 Racks on Metal
Risers
• 10 Solar Panels per
Rack
• 120 Solar
l Panels
l
• Movable Panels to
O ti i Solar
Optimize
S l Input
I
t
Solar Panel Area
960 sq ft
• 2’ x 4’ = 8 sq ft
• 10 Panels/ Rack = 80
sq ft
• 12 Racks x 10 Panels
= 960 sq ft
f
Costs and Rebates
• System Costs
$340,000
• Consultants Fee $ 32,000
• Total Costs
$372,000
• Rebate Amount
• Cost Balance
$115,000 BPU
$257,000
Energy Calculation at PV Watts
www.pv
www.
pvwatt.com/
watt.com/
Calculate energy produced by photovoltaic
sola panels in a geographical
solar
geog aphical area.
a ea
Energy Costs Savings
• 25 Kw provides approx. 45% of electrical
energy needs for our building
• Monthly savings of $300 to $500
• Yearly
Y l savings
i
off $4000 to $6,000
$6 000 –
average $5,000 savings per year
SREC Energy
gy Credits on Our System
y
Solar Renewable Energy Credits
• State of NJ BPU provides 1 SREC for every
1,000 KW hours generated
• Our project generates approx. 30.5 credits
x approx. $600 per credit = $18,300
• $18,300 return / year Energy Credits
Total Savings Per Year
• $5,000 savings per year
• $18,300
return/year Energy
Credits
di
• $23,300
or more total energy
savings and return per year
System
y
Payback
y
• $257,000 Total Costs
• $ 23,300 Savings / Return / Year
• 11 Years to Pay for System Costs at
current energy rate
Additional Cost Savings
• 40% to 50% Savings by Mounting on Roof
• $13 / watt costs Pole Mount System
• $ 8 / watt costs for Roof Mounted System
– No engineering and site prep costs
Information
f
on Other
h Solar
l Units
Throughout New Jersey and the USA
Go to Fat Spaniel
www.fatspaniel
www.
fatspaniel.com/
.com/
Copyright © 2004 - 2009 Fat Spaniel Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Site Construction for Solar
• Design Phase
• Clearing Site
Site-- remove 12”
12 topsoil
• Install Polls and Racks
– Footings 36”
36 wide x 60”
60 deep
– Poles 8” diameter x 12’ high
Site Preparation Video
Construction of Solar Project
• Install PVC Conduit
• Construct 10’
10 x 12’
12 Concrete Pad for
electrical components
– Inverter, DisDis-Connects, Combiner Boxes
• Lay 9” or more of DGA (dense graded
aggregate)
Completion of Solar Project
• Mount Solar Panels to Racking System
• Install Electrical Components on Pad
• Lay 3 “ of Round River Stone
• Install Fencing
• Final Inspection
• Tie in Solar Panels to Existing System
Make the switch to Solar Power
• Clean Natural Source of Energy
• Reduces CO2
• Reduces dependence on foreign oil
• Energy Credits and Incentives from BPU
• Will Pay for itself in 10 to 20 years
Thank You !
Questions ?