Here at Plymouth State University, the idea or action of “Going Green” has become a main focus in recent years. The University as well as the Plymouth community have taken many steps in attempt to reduce its energy consumption and be as environmentally friendly as possible.
So has any one else noticed the giant black squares sitting on top of some of the buildings around campus? I know I’ve recently caught myself more than once staring at them out the windows of Hyde hall during class, well for those who didn’t already know, those are solar panels on top of the some of the off campus apartments.
Stoppe Management services, which many PSU students rent off campus apartments and houses from, are currently in the process of installing solar energy panels that heat water on a select few of it’s buildings. In an interview, PSU alumnus Don Stoppe went into much detail about the process of how the solar panels function.
Basically, the panels installed on the roofs of the buildings absorb the suns energy and use it to (through an elaborate system) to heat the buildings water supply. There are three main water tanks involved in the process including. Two out of the three hot water tanks use the energy harnessed from the solar panels to keep the water at a consistent temperature (120 degrees F) and the other tank is responsible for the return of water from the building. The reason the solar panels save energy is because instead of using more oil to generate the needed heat, energy is pulled from the tanks. The heat is transferred using a copper coil that is attached to the tank.
Stoppe Management has already taken action and installed a considerable amount of panels on their properties around campus. Mr. Stoppe was kind enough to take me on a little field trip showing me where all of the panels are located. These sleek, high-tech looking black panels can be found on the roofs of: 2 and 19 Russell Street, 10 Pleasant Street, 115 and 119 Main Street, 86, 88, and 52 Langdon Street.
I was given the full tour of the new installation at 19 Russell Street where I got to see not just the panels perched perfectly on the top of the building but also the tanks and heating system inside of the houses. While discussing the panels on 19 Russell Street, which were recently installed during wintrim, Stoppe explained that if installed correctly, “the panels can save around 200 gallons per year,” which in turn is saving Stoppe Management a considerable amount of money. He explained that the panels are “tilted at 60 degrees” because that is what makes them most effective. Mr. Stoppe proudly claimed that during the winter, “On a zero degree sunny day we made lots of solar hot water!”
Stoppe went into fine detail about how important installation is, “One of the important things with solar hot water is that you really need to make sure you do things that would really help a lot before hand. Like getting rid of major gaps and things like that in the house because you don’t want to do a expensive solar project if you haven’t taken care of some of the basic air leaks in the building”. Mr. Stoppe and his business went to great lengths to make sure they were making their investment worthwhile. Before installing the panels on 2 Russell, he used a special tool to measure the amount of sunlight that hit the building in order to make sure that the panels will be able to harness the maximum amount of energy and it’s a good thing because the roof they were originally going to use had two pine trees in front of it that would have greatly reduced the effectiveness of the panels.
Mr. Stoppe has high hopes for these panels and more installations possibly in the future. He believes that the original estimate of the panels will be successful enough to pay for themselves in less than seven years down the road.
Stoppe Management has taken a lot of pride in their work, as they should. Mr. Stoppe is very proud of the work he has done with the solar panels and admitted, “I think the ones on 2 Russell look downright attractive.”So if you haven’t already caught a glimpse of these stunning solar panels, make sure you take a walk down Langdon or Russell Street and see for yourselves.