The University of Central Florida’s FSEC conducts energy audits, renewable energy assessments, and technical assistance for the USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant and loan program which is specifically for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements. Any Florida agriculture operation or rural small business is eligible for FSEC support. The USDA subsidizes 75% of FSEC’s audit cost.
Solar access maps are produced and reviewed with business owners as part of FSEC’s technical assistance.
The audit includes an on-site visit to inventory energy use, utility bill analysis, evaluation of efficiency improvement options, projected annual energy savings, all summarized in a REAP-required Technical Report, and assistance with completing the technical portions of the application. Grants are eligible for up to 25% of eligible project costs and range from $2,500-$500,000 for renewable energy systems and $1,500-$250,000 for energy efficiency improvements.
Since the introduction of the automobile in the early 1900’s, there has traditionally been a separation between transportation energy and residential/commercial/industrial energy. With electric vehicles on the rise, however, energy will need to flow freely between vehicles and the grid.
Listen. Learn. Connect
As we move towards this intersection, we will begin to encounter conflicts between the needs of the vehicle owner and the desires of the grid/building energy operator. For example, the electric vehicle owner is concerned about getting home every day, and ensuring that the battery’s lifetime is not adversely impacted. The grid operator is concerned with maintaining high power quality and reducing the risk of outages as renewable energy sources are increasingly added to the mix. Understanding distinctive needs of each user will lead to better management of energy flows that can benefit transportation, the grid, and society as a whole. This presentation will explore how the needs of the vehicle may be met, while also providing added value to the grid.
Dr. Paul Brooker Biographical Sketch
Dr. Brooker received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University in 2004 and his Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut in 2009. After graduating, Dr. Brooker came to UCF’s FSEC, where he has participated in research ranging from fuel cells to electric vehicles to solar photovoltaics.
Within the DOE-sponsored Fuel Cell High Temperature Membrane Working Group at FSEC, Dr. Brooker’s role was to apply electrodes onto novel membranes, and to investigate the performance in an operating fuel cell environment. In addition, Dr. Brooker investigated the use of heteropolyacids (HPAs) for reducing membrane degradation during accelerated stress testing. As part of the Electric Vehicle Transportation Center (EVTC), Dr. Brooker has modeled the use of fuel cells in electric vehicles, as well as electric vehicle infrastructure needs. His research is investigating the potential for fuel cell vehicles to contribute to energy needs beyond transportation, such as grid ancillary services, back-up power, and distributed energy resource management. Dr. Brooker is a project leader within the Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium, where he is directing research on diamond wire slicing of silicon ingots. This research is investigating methods to understand diamond wire wear and its effect on the surface of the cut wafer. This understanding could lead to improved control of wafer surfaces, reduced consumption of diamond wire, and increased wafer throughput, all by optimizing the slicing parameters.
A University of Central Florida-led team will receive $1.1 million to develop new manufacturing processes using a specialized tool that will bring the U.S. a step closer to achieving its goal of affordable photovoltaic (solar) energy.
UCF researcher, Kris Davis, stands next to the ACPVD system that deposits metal oxide material onto silicon wafers.
The project, led by Kris Davis, a research engineer at UCF’s Florida Solar Energy Center, will largely take place at the university’s International Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research in Osceola County where the tool will be among the first to be installed when the building opens in spring 2017.
Making the research manufacturable was critical to getting the federal funding and having the state-of-the-art facility in Osceola County where process engineers will be on staff to manage the equipment was also imperative, Davis said.
“This is the future,” he said of the process his team will use to ultimately produce thousands of solar cells an hour in and without the costly and cumbersome vacuum-based deposition processes typically used to convert silicon wafers into solar cells. Read more
EcoStruction is a series of workshops offered by the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) that provides the first steps toward a sustainable career path in clean energy, sustainability or the environment.
Sponsored by CareerSource Brevard as part of the Clean Energy Jobs Accelerator Grant, participants of the pilot training program on August 1 – 5 were able to choose from five different courses:
Introduction to Construction Jobs & Energy Efficient Housing
Introduction to Sustainability
Introduction to Building Efficiency Performance
Introduction to Photovoltaic Systems Technician
Introduction to Photovoltaic Sales and Marketing
In addition to their chosen workshop, participants received Sustaining Service training by UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality to develop customer service and soft skills that are in high demand by Brevard employers.
In the Introduction to Construction Jobs & Energy Efficient Housing workshop, students learn basic construction techniques and how to integrate energy efficiency features. Photo: Sherri Shields
“Combining Sustaining Service with specific occupational skills, and a layer of clean energy training, elevates these participants’ chances of securing employment,” said Valerie Carothers, CareerSource Brevard business liaison to the clean energy industry.
“I started this class knowing nothing, and even had a hard time pronouncing photovoltaics, but now I feel like an expert,” said Joussette Calvo, a participant in the Introduction to Photovoltaic Sales and Marketing workshop.
Students were able to see a Tesla electric car and learn how it integrates into a LIfeStyle solar-powered home. Photo: Nick Waters
Students also had the opportunity to see a Tesla electric car and hear from guest speaker, Larry Hufford, founder of homebuilder LifeStyle Homes, about how homes, photovoltaic systems and electric cars are integrating. “The LifeStyle solar-powered home generates its own electricity from sunshine. The Tesla then uses this sunshine-generated electricity to get its battery charge. This means that the Tesla essentially runs on sunshine!”
Instructor Tei Kucharski discusses Home Energy Ratings in the Introduction to Building Efficiency Performance workshop. Photo: Nick Waters
Although the EcoStruction workshops are only offered as part of this pilot training series, FSEC offers other courses that support clean energy career development. Visit http://ce.fsec.ucf.edu/ for a full course listing.
For additional training information, please contact Colleen Kettles, ckettles@fsec.ucf.edu.
