Page 170 - Alternative Energy Systems in Building Design

146 SOLAR POWER SYSTEM PHYSICS AND TECHNOLOGIES

required, may necessitate some incremental cost adjustment. As per the CEC, all solar
power cogeneration program rebate applications applied for before December of 2002
was subject to a 50 percent subsidy. At present, rebate allotments depend strictly on
the amount of funding available at the time of application and are granted on a first-
come, first-served basis.
Figure 3.72 offers detailed estimates, calculated by me, for a solar power project for
the Water and Life Museum, located in Hemet, California. As discussed earlier in this
chapter, the project consists of two museum campuses with a total of seven buildings,
each constructed with roof-mounted solar power PV systems.
The cost estimate, as shown in Fig. 3.72, represents one of the main buildings, the
actual Water Education Museum. This project is funded by the Los Angeles Metropolitan
Water District (MWD). The solar power generation of the entire campus is 540 W dc. Net
ac power output, including losses, is estimated to be approximately 480 kW. At present,
the entire solar power-generation system is paid for by the MWD. As a result, all the
power generated by the system will be used by the Water and Life Museum and repre-
sents approximately 70–75 percent of the overall electric demand load.

MAINTENANCE COSTS
As mentioned earlier, solar power systems have a near-zero maintenance requirement.
This is due to solid-state technology, lamination techniques, and the total absence of
mechanical or moving parts. However, to prevent marginal degradation in output per-
formance from dust accumulation, solar arrays require biyearly rinsing with a water hose.

FEASIBILITY STUDY REPORT
As mentioned earlier in this chapter, the key to designing a viable solar power system
begins with preparation of a feasibility report. A feasibility report is essentially a pre-
liminary engineering design report that is intended to inform the end user about sig-
nificant aspects of the project. The document therefore must include a thorough defi-
nition of the entire project from both material and financial perspectives.
A well-prepared report must inform and educate the client, as well as provide a
realistic projection of all engineering and financial costs to enable the user to weigh all
aspects of a project from start to finish. The report must include a comprehensive tech-
nical and financial analysis of all aspects of the project, including particulars of
local climatic conditions, solar power system installation alternatives, grid-integration
requirements, electric power demand, and economic cost projection analysis. The report
also must incorporate photographs, charts, and statistical graphs to illustrate and inform
the client about the benefits of the solar power or sustainable-energy system proposed.

POLLUTION ABATEMENT CONSIDERATIONS

According to a 1999 report by the U.S. Department of Energy, 1 kW of energy pro-
duced by a coal-fired electric power–generating plant requires about 5 lb of coal.
Likewise, the generation of 1.5 kWh of electric energy per year requires about 7400
lb of coal, which, in turn, produces 10,000 lb of carbon dioxide (CO ).
2