Executive Summary
Lehigh Valley Campus in Pennsylvania is proposing to incorporate renewable sources of energy (Hybrid Photovoltaic Cells and Thermal Collector) into the campus and a cybercafé/bookstore business venture in honor of the recently deceased alumnus of PSU, Wayne K. Newton. It is our firm belief that this project will fulfill the Late Wayne Newton’s visionary dream and fulfill the family’s wishes to donate the funds.
The campus aims to use these funds to procure hybrid solar module and design a cybercafé/bookstore business premise
The total cost of the project will be $87120.
The remaining funds will cater for future needs should they arise before the business is self-sustaining.
The budget is inclusive of procurement of equipment and manpower wages for installation.
The timeline is bound to change based on the prevailing issue.
Introduction
Lehigh Valley Campus is a satellite campus in the state of Pennsylvania within the US: whose parent campus is Pennsylvania State University We are a community of students aspired by visionary ideas to make the campus a great experience and leave it better than we found it. The community in the Penn State area is also very supportive of these ideals.
We are therefore proposing to undertake a school project to invest in Renewable Energy and Business in memory of a recently deceased alumnus of PSU, Wayne K. Newton. We believe that in the spirit to preserve his memory and legacy, this project would go a long way to fulfilling his vision and the families’ wishes of the funds left in the wake of his passing.
The Lehigh Valley Campus is a relatively smaller campus compared to its parent PSU. However, this campus is slowly growing in terms of the population of its student body. Consequently, the accompanying need for electricity within the campus and the housing apartments will result in heavy cost implications at the rate of acceptance of applications: which was 87% as at 2010. The current state if the economy and inflation rate is putting quite the strain on students financially. The renewable energy can mitigate energy costs shouldered by the student loans. In addition, the business project will not only provide income to students working part-time, but it will also provide revenue that can be invested to further the renewable energy project. The revenue generated by the business can also be used to conduct maintenance procedures on the renewable energy appliances.
Statement of the Need
This campus is facing budgetary constraints due to the increasing student population. It is also a victim of blackouts which impede the learning process. The life of a typical student in campus is driven by student loans. The energy consumption cost implications per student is a major drain on the student loan facilities. There is, therefore, a need for a solution to supplement the energy consumption of the students and a means to generate income. This grant is crucial toward the development and completion of this project by providing funds for the primary and secondary objective of this project.
Objectives
The primary objective is to access, purchase and install solar panels and solar heaters on the school property and in school-owned housing apartments.
The secondary objective is to construct a cybercafé complete with a bookstore that will generate revenue for completion of the primary objective and accompanying maintenance costs.
Description of Project
Electric Infrastructure
The State Power Grid supplies the school. The Students Center is the hub of all campus activities: both academic and social. The assessment of the facility’s average power consumption needs will be conducted by alumni students working in collaboration with SolarCity. SolarCity is a full-service provider of solar products within the Pennsylvania State. They do designs and work with building experts, in this case, the school contractor, to design a solar system that will harness the optimal solar insolation. They will be responsible for assessing the Student’s Centre and providing free installation services.
In addition, they will also assess the school-owned apartments in use by students and work hand in hand with the school’s civil engineering team to design the best method of installing the solar panels to provide electricity and solar water heaters to warm water during the cold season.
Business Infrastructure
The Students Centre has been identified by the Student Organization as the ideal space to utilize for constructing the cybercafé/bookstore. The assessment will be done by the school architect and alumni civil engineering students. Their recommendation will determine how the available space in the east wing can be utilized to house the secondary objective. The secondary objective will need electric supply from the solar panels installed to run the Internet Service Provider networks appliances, hot water from the solar water heater to supply the kitchen with hot water for hot beverages servicing the café and ample lighting for the bookstore section and the facility.
Appliances
In order to save on costs and space, a Hybrid PV Solar System for Electricity provision that includes a thermal collection unit for heating water will be used. Given the concerns expressed in the initial assessment of SolarCity experts, the roofing space available in orientation to the sun for maximum collection of solar energy for electric and thermal purposes is limited if a mutually exclusive system is adopted. Therefore, the hybrid system will be installed to fulfill the primary objective.
The bookstore/cybercafé facility will need a partition material to accomplish the design. The kitchen, cyberspace, and bookstore space will be separated by frosted glass partitions. Tables and chairs to be used in the cybercafé for students. The bookstore will need wooden shelves designed for books. The bookstore and the kitchen will require a cashier’s facility to store cash. The cashier’s facility will be complete with a receipting appliance for accountability of sales made.
The cyber will provide wireless networks to customers. A Cisco wireless provider will be procured for these purposes
Technology Support
This primary objective of this project will be overseen by SolarCity. They feel excited to take up the responsibility of installation, maintenance and monitoring of the solar products as part of their after sales service.
The secondary objective will be run under the supervision of the Student Organizing Body
Future Plans
The Primary objective of this project is to introduce sustainable means of generating electricity and thermal energy to the campus. The future plan is the complete adoption of this system for all electric and thermal needs of the Campus and Student Apartment Complexes. The funds required for fulfilling future plans if the primary objective will be procured from revenue generated by the secondary objective.
Time line
The following is a proposed timeline of the events in the course of fulfilling the primary and secondary objective. The dates are subject to change based on assessment at each stage
July – August 2016
The student organization and alumnus stakeholders discuss the feasibility of the primary and secondary objective of the project.
September – November 2016
The school administration is notified of the plan for approval and school architect and civil engineering team informed of the impending project undertaking.
SolarCity in collaboration with Campus Architect and civil engineering personnel assess the roof facilities for roof space and orientation to the sun.
February 2017
Installation of Solar PV Systems (for electric purposes) and Solar Thermal Systems (for water heating purposes)
Designing of the secondary objective
Deliver Kitchen Appliance, chairs, shelves, and tables to the business facility
Cost Analysis
The table below is a summary of the financial framework for procuring items and fulfilling the primary and secondary objective.
Description of the Organization
Lehigh Valley Campus is satellite facility of the Penn State University. It has recorded and acceptance rate in college applications of 87% as of 2010 that has been increasing to date. The students of this auspicious facility are valued members of the community who have worked together: collaborating on several projects for the benefit of the school and the community. The school has greatly benefitted from the community in the form of fundraisers and charity organizations that fund noteworthy projects that are not only exemplary but practical in their applications.
Why Fund us?
Lehigh Valley Campus is a community of visionary individuals. In this aspect, they share the dream of the late alumnus of PSU, Wayne K. Newton. If this campus gets to receive the funds, then the school and its students will benefit by reducing the cost implications of procuring energy from the electric grid. In addition, the students will also benefit from the business by working part-time jobs in the campus proximity – which will make their life much easier –, and they will also get to receive income they can use to cater for their financial needs. Holistically, these funds will be a means to set up a symbiotic self-sustaining project – whose primary objective caters for the provision of clean energy while the secondary objective benefits the students and expands the scope of the primary objective.
Conclusion
The Lehigh Valley Campus Student Organization Body welcomes the opportunity to submit this proposal to the Committee formed in honor of the recently deceased alumnus of PSU, Wayne K. Newton. Our proposal will be of benefit to the Campus and the students through the fulfillment of the primary and secondary objective. It is our belief that this proposal will fulfill the crisis of electric energy cost implications faced by the campus facility and provide the students with income streams all the while supporting the completion of the project. This level of sustainable symbiosis subscribes to the visionary ideals of the late Wayne K. Newton. It is therefore in his honor that these ideas were born: hence, the proposal to fulfill them.
Any piece of crucial information missing in this proposal can be sought by getting in touch with the Lehigh Valley Campus Student Organization. We will be more than happy to discuss the way forward.
References
Kalogirou, S. A., & Tripanagnostopoulos, Y. (2006). Hybrid PV/T solar systems for domestic hot water and electricity production. Energy Conversion and Management, 3368-3382.
SolarCity. (2016). Helping Pennsylvania Go Solar. Retrieved June 17, 2016, from Solar panels in Pennsylvania: http://www.solarcity.com/residential/states/pennsylvania-solar
