Author: Sherri Shields

VIRTUAL EnergyWhiz 2021

Sherri Shields Energy News, Feature Story 0 Comment

EnergyWhiz Laptop LogoEnergyWhiz—a renewable energy-focused event for students to demonstrate their science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) capabilities through project-based learning activities—will be held virtually on May 3 – 7, 2021.

FSEC Energy Research Center, in partnership with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Office of Energy, is modifying this traditionally in-person event to be in virtual format. New rules will be posted later this month at: https://energyresearch.ucf.edu/education/k-12/energywhiz/

Competitions will be:

One of the biggest changes will be in the Energy Innovations category. Energy Innovations is now open to adults, and it has also expanded to include solar cooking and energy-efficient buildings (and pet houses).

Learn more about EnergyWhiz at: https://energyresearch.ucf.edu/education/k-12/energywhiz/.

Managing Solar Gain – In southern climates, the sun’s heat is a load to be minimized.

Sherri Shields Energy News, FSEC in the News 0 Comment

FSEC researchers studied a set of test buildings in Cocoa, Fla., extrapolated the data and using building energy simulations, and estimated the benefits of white reflective walls in other locations. “According to the modeling, going from dark walls to white walls could save about 12% on cooling costs in cities like Orlando, Miami, New Orleans, or Houston.”

Builder | October 16, 2020

DOE Says Combining Floating Solar With Hydroelectric Could Provide 40% Of The World’s Energy Needs

Sherri Shields Feature Story, FSEC in the News , 0 Comment

iStock | Getty Images. Solar panels in aerial view, rows array of polycrystalline silicon solar cells or photovoltaics in solar power plant floating on the water in lake.A study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory suggests that if floating solar was installed on hydro reservoirs globally, the hybrid systems could generate anywhere from 16% to 40% of the world’s demand for electricity. FSEC’s John Sherwin, program manager of testing and certification, agrees and speculates the generation to be on the middle to lower end of that scale, without first researching how solar panels respond to the stress of being on the water, as well as other variables.

CleanTechnica | October 5, 2020