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Albuquerque Solar Energy System Cuts Costs
U.P. - A solar energy system
cut heating costs nearly 80 per
cent over most of two winters
in a specially designed office
building in Albuquerque, N.M.
A professor of agricultural
engineering at The
Pennsylvania State University
which is developing a computer
model and then a design
handbook for solar energy/heat
pump-assisted heating systems,
has reported.
"Our prime objective," says
Dr. Stanley F. Gilman, "is to
provide design data, allowing
widespread use of solar energy
for heating and cooling com
mercial and industrial build
ings. The sun's energy would
provide at least half of the
heating needs."
The Albuquerque findings,
he cautions, are not directly
translatable to other buildings
in other vicinities. Nor can a
meaningful comparison be
made between heating a home
and an office building, since the
latter has considerable internal
heat sources, such as lighting.
Many factors determine
whether a solar system should
be used for a specific type of
building in a given location: the
outdoor temperature and its
daily range; the percentage of
warm versus cold days; the
amount of sunshine potentially
available; and local energy
costs, today and for the next 20
years.
The picture is complicated,
says Dr. Gilman, because while,
for instance, the mean temper
ature range in Albuquerque is
only slightly higher than in
areas of Pennsylvania -- 45
degrees F. for Albuquerque, 42
for Philadelphia and 38 for
1977 P.S.P.E. Bathtub Race Coming Soon
The Annual P.S.P.E. Bath- of standard cast-iron and also wheels used is irrelevant. because at no time may there parking lot. The course is
tub Race will be held on be of standard size and shape. Team be anymore than four persons estimated to be 2' miles in
Wednesday, May 11, 1977 at No holes are allowed to be The team is to consist of pushing the tub. length.
3:00 P.M. There is an entry fee drilled into the tub inorder to eleven persons and no more. Of Sportsmanship attitudes
of $5.00 per tub, and the entry decrease the weight or any the eleven, ten of which will Course Rules should be held by all. Any
deadline is May 4, 1977. First other such method employed to propel the tub, there will be one interference with another tub
prize is 1/2 keg of beer and a decrease the weight such as who is designated as the driver. The tub must follow the will cause a penalty of
trophy; second is 1/4 keg; third acid dipping. The bathtub is The driver must navigate the course layed out and no other substantial nature. Interfer
is two cases; fourth is one case. also not allowed to be powered tub and at no time is he allowed interpretation of the course will ence can be termed as cutting
For further information, call by any energy source other to leave the tub. The ten men or win. The course will take place off the competition, interfer-
Bill Ayres, 944-5134. than that of the team as women, who will be propelling on the Capitol Campus and ring with another tub's
Rules described below. The steering the craft, may be strategically start at the Student Center and progress or any other such
The tub is to be constructed system and the number of located throughout the course, end at the Main Building forms of cheating.
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• APPLICATION FORM FOR •
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• THE 1977 ANNUAL BATHTUB RACE •
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• Sponsored by the Student Chapter of the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers •
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0 NAME OF TEAM CHAIRMAN PHONE •
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0 MEMBERS OF THE TEAM INCLUDING CHAIRMAN: •
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. I . 4. 7. 10.
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0 AC 5. 8 • ENTRANCE FEE •
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• 3. 6. 9. $5.00 0
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WHERE WAS YOUR BATHTUB OBTAINED? •
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• SIGNATURE OF CHAIRMAN X •
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Pittsburgh
Albuquerque days are warmer
and sunnier.
The Albuquerque winter
temperature may range from
25 degrees F at night to 55 in
the daytime, and 80 per cent of
the winter daytime hours are
sunny in Albuquerque, versus
an average of only 50 per cent
in Pennsylvania. And, says Dr.
Gilman, this figure does not
take into account the reduced
sunlight caused by the smog
typical of Eastern metropolitan
areas.
Dr. Gilman and his col
leagues -- E.R. McLaughlin,
professor of engineering re
search at Penn State and M. W.
Wildin, professor of mechanical
engineering at the University
of New Mexico -- recently
reported their results at a
National Forum on Solar
Cooling and Heating in Miami
Beach, Fla., and at a meeting in
Chicago of the American
Society of Heating, Refrigera
ting and Air-Conditioning
Engineers.
Although they are still
computing and tabulating the
wealth of data gleaned from
mid December to Mar. 21 of the
1974-75 and 1975-76 heating
seasons, Dr. Gilman says solar
energy systems can "signifi
cantly reduce consumption of
the fossil fuels we are quickly
depleting."
The research was conducted
in the 20-year-old Solar
Building, the world's first
solar-heated commercial build
ing, where the system was used
for a few years in the late 1950 s
and later deactivated because
kssil fuels were more economi
cal.
C.C. Reader
With funding from the
National Science Foundation,
and now under contract to the
U.S. Energy Research and
Development Administration
(ERDA), Dr. Gilman and his
colleagues refurbished and
modernized the existing sys
tem.
overall,
Solar rays are harvested by
a 750-square-foot collector in
the form of 55 aluminum sheet
panels mounted behind the
windows of one wall of the
one-story building. The wall
faces south, and is slanted at a
60-degree angle.
An ethylene glycol/water
solution circulates through the
collector absorbing the energy
and storing it in one of three
tanks. When the temperature
in any tank becomes high
enough to heat the building (85
degrees F) the water is pumped
to a hot water coil, and a fan
and duct system delivers the
heat.
"The uniqueness of the
system is in the' `marrying' of
the solar collector and the heat
pump," says Dr. Gilman.
"When the water storage
temperature falls below 85
degrees F. and is no longer able
to supply useful heat, the
water-to-water heat pump
comes on. The pump very
efficiently `lifts' the water's
temperature to a useful 110 to
120 degrees F.
"In turn, the temperature of
the stored water markedly
increases the efficiency of the
solar collector. As sunny, mild
days build up the temperature
of the stored water, less
electricity is needed and the
heat pump operates even more
efficiently."
The heat pump is an
ordinary air conditioning unit
that cools in summer and heats
in winter, says Dr. Gilman. It is
the kind of unit used all over
the country because it is an
energy-saving device. For some
companies, he adds, heat pump
sales have doubled and tripled
this past year.
Dr. Gilman and his associ
ates did their computations
long distance, thanks to a
computer system which Bath=
ered more than eight million
pieces of data and transmitted
them via telephone lines to
Penn State.
Of Interest Cont From 3
Juniors at the beginning of the
Fall Term, 1976. The test
results are being analyzed as
part of the Committee on
Remediation's study of the
need for a remediation program
at The Capitol Campus.
Individual test scores have
been kept and will remain
confidential.
Having obtained the Fac
ulty Council's approval, the
Committee will inform inter
ested students of their scores.
Students who obtain their
scores will be asked if they
desire remedial help. The
number of students who desire,
such help will be reported to
the Faculty Council.
Scores may be obtained
from Mr. John Joseph in Room
W-205 between 10:00 a.m. and
12:00 noon, Monday- Friday.
Mr. Joseph will discuss the
results with students who wish
to do so. The student
identification card must be
April 28, 1977
Although not all the data
have been analyzed, Dr. Gilman
says it is clear already that the
system is energy efficient.
During each of the three
and-a-half month winter peri
ods, the heat pump required
only 5,288 kilowatt hours of
electricity, for a total heating
cost of $l5B. Dr. Gilman
estimates it would cost about
$240 to heat the Albuquerque
building for an entire winter.
To electrically heat, without
the solar system, an equivalent
5,000 square feet in Central
Pennsylvania, he adds, would
cost approximately four-and-a
half times as much.
presented to obtain the scores.
Negligence
There were several omis
sions in last week's article on
the Charity Basketball game.
To correct this negligence, the
Reader would like to apologize
and thank Cindy Stevens and
Beth Kopas for their efforts and
Ron Melchiorre for organizing
the C.C. Staff and ' Faculty
team.
Spring Jam
All interested musicians are
invited to participate in the
Spring Jam, scheduled for May
5 at 8:00 p.m. in the Student
Center. Three sets are being
planned: rock-n-roll, acoustic,
and jazz. Admission is $l.OO.
The P.A. system will be
provided by Disco-to-Go. For
further information, call 944-
0591.