UAF Resource Assessment and Feasibility Study

Project Description:  The University of Alaska Fairbanks Facilities Services Department has asked ACEP to conduct a resource assessment and feasibility study into putting a 1-MW solar array on the hillside south of the Butrovich Building on campus.

The study is comprised of two parts:  First, deploying a meteorological tower to measure solar irradiance on the site; Second,  in order to determine the economics of active snow removal (versus passive snow removal),  two undergraduate students are clearing snow from simulated solar panels in order to  document the amount of effort involved in keeping the panels clear.  This data will help assess whether or not active snow removal is economical. In return for their efforts, the students are being mentored through an independent course of study on different renewable energy technologies.

Project Update:  The meteorological tower being used in the study was recently moved out of ACEP’s Energy Technology Facility (ETF) and placed outside.  Sitting next to the ETF, in direct sunlight, the meteorological tower will undergo testing before it is deployed to the hillside located just south of the Butrovich Building on UAF’s campus.

Project Lead:  Dr. Daisy Huang, ACEP Faculty Researcher
Project Funding:  Undergraduate Research & Scholarly Activity (URSA)
Project Research Partners:  University of Alaska Fairbanks Facilities Services Department and URSA


Photo Caption:  UAF Resource Assessment meteorological tower sits adjacent to the ETF as it undergoes testing.  
Photo courtesy M. Frey, ACEP/UAF.