Solar power for a composting system on South Campus at UML
Course: 22.527 Solar Systems Engineering Semester: Spring 2008
Instructor: John Duffy Partner:University of Massachusetts
Lowell There is a composting area located on an isolated
location near South Campus at UML. Waste from the cafeterias on
campus is composted there: wastes such as coffee and tea are
converted into organic manure or fertilizer using an aerobic
process. This process requires the use of two air sparging pumps
which are currently powered by gasoline because the location is
too far from the grid to connect this load to it: it would be
too expensive. Therefore, a two-student group designed a
photovoltaic system that would supply enough power to this load:
they visited the side and performed a thorough shading analysis,
they determined the optimal tilt angle for the PV panels,
determined the number and type of panels and batteries needed,
determined the charge controller and inverter needed, and they
tested solar panels that were made ava