Olympic Games -1996 : Renewable Energy in Action
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While you are watching the Olympic Games next week there are a number of
solar energy applications to look for in the various venues. What to look
for: several renewable energy technologies will be on display in Atlanta and
at the site of the 1996 Summer Games, including photovoltaic energy, solar
thermal energy, geothermal energy, and alternative fuel vehicles.
Unfortunately, no solar cookers will be on display.
Photovoltaic Energy
Some 2856 photovoltaic modules are installed on the roof of the Georgia Tech
Aquatic Center, the main site of swimming competitions for the 1996 Summer
Olympic Games. The modules cover about 3680 square meters of roof area and
provide up to 340 kilowatts of electrical power, making it the largest
building-integrated photovoltaic system in the world. The modules help power
the lighting for the Aquatic Center, and any unused electricity is fed back
Into the power grid to reduce the energy bills for the building. Also, look
for 65 photovoltaic-powered lights at the National Park Service parking lot
at the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Visitor
Center in downtown Atlanta.
US DOE is behind all the solar applications in attempt to demonstrate
American solar technologies to the world. Photovoltaic technologies are
being widely used in developing countries to power villages that have no
access to electricity. Currently used in about 200,000 villages in about 150
countries around the world, photovoltaic technologies have a huge potential
for market growth. The World Bank estimates that investments in new
generation capacity of $1trillion will be needed this decade, and upward of
$4 trillion during the
next 30 years to meet developing countries' needs.
Installations on buildings, like that on the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center,
turn otherwise unused roof spaces into sources of power. New products now
Available commercially combine roofing materials with photovoltaic
technologies to create shingles and other roof materials that generate
power. This double-duty application of photovoltaic materials is an elegant
approach that significantly improves their cost effectiveness. The Southface
Energy and Environmental Center in Atlanta includes such photovoltaic
shingles on its roof, providing up to 2 kilowatts of solar-powered
electricity.
Solar Thermal Energy
The Georgia Tech Aquatic Center, the main site of the swimming competitions
for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, will have its pool heated by 278 solar
collectors mounted on its roof.
In the system at the Aquatic Center, water flows through black plastic
piping that absorbs the sun's heat. These collectors cover about 940 square
meters of roof area, and most are tilted toward the sun to collect the
maximum amount of sunlight throughout the day. During the summer, the system
can also be run at night to provide radiative cooling of the pool water, if
needed. The system meets rigid specifications to keep the swimming pool
within the narrow temperature range required for the Games.
Another solar thermal energy application on display in Atlanta is a
7-kilowatt dish/Stirling system, installed on the Georgia Tech campus. The
installation demonstrates this innovative technology, which uses a large,
faceted, dish-shaped mirror to focus and concentrate the sun's heat. A
Stirling engine and generator at the dish's focal point then efficiently
convert that heat into electricity. The mirror is mounted on a tracking
device that keeps it pointed directly at the sun.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy comes in many forms, and one of the most cost-effective
and widely applicable geothermal technologies is the geothermal heat pump.
Geothermal heat pumps are providing heating, cooling, and hot water to both
the Southface Energy and Environmental Resource Center and a newly
refurbished building on the Georgia Tech campus.
Geothermal heat pumps can be installed in most buildings, and rely on the
earth below the building as a heat source (for heating) or a heat sink (for
cooling). Ground temperatures stay fairly constant year-round, so geothermal
heat pumps use 30% less energy than conventional air-source heat pumps,
which are dependent on widely fluctuating outside air temperatures.
Alternative Fuel Vehicles
To minimize the environmental effects of increased traffic during the
Olympics, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is working with the Department
of Transportation and private sector companies to provide Alternative Fuel
Vehicles (AFVs) for Atlanta's use. An important goal of the federal effort
is to provide as many AFVs as possible.
The AFVs at the Olympics will run on a variety of fuels, including
compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), electricity, or
hydrogen. To date, more than 300 AFV buses have been offered to Atlanta for
the Olympics, and it is anticipated that at least this number of AFV vans
and cars will be available as well. DOE's Idaho National Energy Laboratory
will provide 4 LNG buses for VIP and other use in Atlanta. Alternative fuel
vehicle use will demonstrate the effectiveness and market-readiness of these
technologies, while helping to keep Atlanta's air clean.
The vehicles are being borrowed from a number of transportation
authorities around the country.
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