Landscape Architect Articles

LASN June 2016 Technology: Smart Campus Tech06-14-16 | Department

Smart Campus Tech

Among the green initiatives at Calhoun Community College in Decatur, Alabama is the installation of solar powered units to charge smartphones and other personal computing devices.
*Photo courtesy of Calhoun Community College*

Calhoun Community College in Decatur, Alabama, has a student body of 10,500, making it the state's largest two-year college. The college has increased efforts to go green and reduce its carbon footprint. Funded through a $3.47M U.S. Department of Labor grant, the 11,000 sq. ft. Alabama Center for Excellence in Clean Energy Technology building houses the college's renewable energy associate's degree program, the only such program in the state. The building received Platinum LEED certification. The LEED elements include a 20 kW solar array system that produces up to 80 percent of the building's power requirements. An extensive underground geothermal system provides all the building's hot water needs. LED lighting has replaced the incandescent and fluorescent lighting. There are occupancy sensors for HVAC and lighting. These upgrades will reduce the buildings energy usage by about half. There is also a 100-kilowatt solar array adjacent to the center.

The solar unit has 4 USB ports and one 12-volt outlet that can charge up to five mobile devices simultaneously.

A more modest addition to the campus is a small pilot program that has funded the purchase of a number of bikes that are made available to students and staff to navigate around the campus. It's a small beginning, but a good effort toward uncrowding the parking lots.

As at other colleges, smartphones, tablets and laptops are ubiquitous at Calhoun. These personal devices are convenient and useful (well, they can be), but battery life isn't always that great. Indoors, people may be able to locate an available power plug to get the job done, or go to their vehicle. Charging a device outside, in between classes, for instance, would be great. Wish granted.

Being more aware of the environment is an attitude on campus that is contagious. In keeping with the green focus, the campus has installed solar-powered charging stations (www.sunchargesystems.com). The solar charging adjustable units are self-contained power systems placed in targeted areas on campus where students, staff and faculty tend to gather. The solar-power systems are simply installed with a few anchors into the paved walkways.

Each solar powered charging station has a water-resistant housing for a 36-amp gel cell deep cycle battery.
*Photos courtesy of Sun Charge Systems*

The pole that supports the 60-watt polycrystalline solar panel, made of carbon steel or stainless steel, is adjustable to orient the panel for maximum sun exposure. Each water-resistant unit has a 36-amp gel cell deep cycle battery, 4 USB ports and one 12-volt port to charge up to five mobile devices at once. The system is maintenance free and is always ready for use. A LED light is available for nighttime use; a 4G/3G Wi-Fi hotspot is an additional option.

As seen in LASN magazine, June 2016, Technology.