The Solar Squad: Building a Sustainable Future Today

Alfredo De La Cruz Jair Jaramillo Emad Zuberi

Christopher Lambert Hyun Cho

Our company, The Solar Squad, is pleased to propose an environmentally friendly

alternative to the existing power source that drives the University of Texas at Dallas campus.
This plan will help the institution become more energy efficient and reduce the institution's
carbon footprint. The cost of energy resources have been on the rise compared to previous years.
Schools like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Colorado, and the
University of North Carolina, have all made groundbreaking advancements in renewable energy
practices by implementing solar energy on campus. With declining prices and increasing
environmental issues due to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, it is important that our university
follow suit and take a step toward sustainability by utilizing the most sustainable and
opportunistic form of energy.
Approximately 200 jobs will be created to accomplish this project in its entirety.
Additionally, educational opportunities will also be created by allowing students and researchers
from the University of Texas at Dallas to participate in different areas of the process. Many
students will be able to receive first-hand experience through involvement in research and
development, engineering, operations management, and other educational enriching roles. The
University of Texas at Dallas will have the opportunity to contribute in future research and
development that will benefit the renewable energy field. This project will provide the
opportunity for specific renewable energy courses to be developed and integrated into the
university curriculum.
SolarCity will be a valuable participating partner in this project. They bring vast
knowledge and notable experience in the North Texas region. SolarCity has participated in
creating similar projects on school campuses around the country. The expertise SolarCity will
contribute to the project will provide for smoother operations and reduce the amount of time
needed for each section of the project. This project will provide Dallas with environmentally
friendly way to produce energy and will be a significant step to realizing the potential Texas has
in the solar energy field.
Although the University of Texas at Dallas has some solar panels on campus, they are
small in quantity and are neither commercially profitable nor educationally helpful. The
University of Texas at Dallas is not efficiently collecting benefits from the solar panels. Our
university cannot be left behind when it comes to solar energy and its application on campus.
Our objective is to provide a sustainable energy source that can help the University of
Texas at Dallas reduce costs and be a more environmentally friendly campus. Our project can be
summarized with three Es: Economy, Education and Environment.

Economy: the University of Texas at Dallas will save on electrical costs and receive tax
deduction from the government
Education: expand the degree programs in the University of Texas at Dallas to enhance
the universitys student recruitment opportunities
Environment: reduce greenhouse gas emission and provide a greener alternative to fossil
fuels

Figure A Average Annual Sunshine

(Retrieved July 26, 2015 from http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/national_atlas_1970/ca000073.jpg)

Background/Problem/Purpose:
With its abundant sunshine, specialized manufacturing base, and growing research
institutions, Texas is in a great position to compete in the solar energy market. Texas is currently
ranked No. 1 nationally in solar potential. As costs associated with solar energy equipment
continue to decrease, the growth for the solar energy industry will continue to further expand.
In the year 2009-2010, the University of Texas at Dallas reported an electricity bill of $7
million. The university annually produces 639,214 metric tons of greenhouse gas emission. This
project will allow the University of Texas at Dallas to reduce its carbon footprint and
substantially decrease its electricity bill. We aim to provide the university with resources that will
contribute to a possible addition in the engineering curriculum focusing on solar energy. Students
could have the opportunity to work alongside experts and develop their skills in this growing
industry.

Plan/Proposal:
The project will call for the installation of approximately 33,000 solar panels on 50 acres
of existing rooftops and parking spaces. A total of 200 jobs will be created in order to execute
and complete this project. The project itself will cost a total of $20 million, but $10 million has
already been acquired.
Benefits/Examples:
Now we will discuss what benefits solar panels will shine on the University of Texas at
Dallas. Renewable energy and especially solar energy is a field that has in recent years sparked
the interest of many universities and researching facilities. Because of its long-lasting durability
and green-friendly aspects, many states encourage the solar panel installation by tax reduction
and other favorable policies. There has been many universities that have installed solar panels on
their property and are reaping the benefits from their investments. Three types of benefits are
expected with expansion of solar panels.
Economic Benefits:
Contrary to public opinion, solar panels can be a good economical choice, especially if as
a long-term investment. Although initial installation costs are high, the advancement of
technology continues to reduce the cost of installations all around the country. The state
government offers a 30% tax claim on the solar panel installation for the installation year. When
we apply this on our project, the University of Texas at Dallas would claim $6 million. This will
be a significant boost for the project by reducing the overall cost. Annually, this project will help
University of Texas at Dallas save $700,000 in electricity cost. In 10 years, it can save $7 million
and it will take about 28 years to recover initial investment. Oncor is going to reward the
university with an incentive of $4 million for the solar project on campus. This project will also
benefit the community by creating two hundred jobs most of whom will be filled by local people.
In the Cornell Snyder Solar Farm, it created 30 local construction jobs with a 10-acre-wide site.

Figure B Estimated Savings over time in millions

Educational Benefits:
The expansion of solar panels on campus can provide opportunities to take advantage of
renewable energies. The university can offer programs to train students on solar projects and
installation operations. Arizona Western has a curriculum in development, including
occupational certificate, workforce training, A.S. degree, and university partnerships for
articulated Bachelor and Masters degrees. (Arizona Western). Texas A&M - Central Texas is
using its Center for Solar Energy to also implement a new curriculum to further expand research
and educational opportunities. The University of Texas at Dallas has just created a new master's
program in energy management. The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering has a Renewable
Energy and Vehicular Technology Lab. The school can incorporate solar specific energy
curriculum and encourage student research on photovoltaic technologies. This will allow
students to conduct their own research and develop solar panels specifically designed for the
campus, enabling the school to reduce its dependence on nonrenewable sources of energy. The
University of Texas at Dallas can strive to be a significant contributor to solar energy research
and development.
Environmental Benefits:
As one of the most developed renewable energy types, solar panels are very
environmentally-friendly. At Cornell Snyder Road Solar Farm, which is a solar energy facility of
Cornell University, with 6,778 solar panels installed in 10 acres help Cornell lower 650 tons of
GHG emission annually. This amount is as same as the annual energy use of 320 homes. As we
calculated the environmental benefits, University of Texas at Dallas produces about 639,214
metric tons of greenhouse gas annually. With more than 33,000 solar panels on the campus,
University of Texas at Dallas can reduce 14,432 metric tons of GHG emission. This is about
2.26% of the annual emission. It is also equivalent of 1,317 household's annual energy use.

Figure C Equivalent of UTDs estimated GHG emission reduction

Schedule:
Site Audit

9/2015

System Design

9/2015

Negotiate Project Agreement

10/2015

Interconnection Application Filed

10/2015

Permit Applications Filed

11/2015

Permits Awarded

2/2016

Interconnection Agreement Signed

2/2016

Construction Begins

3/2016

Construction Completed

9/2016

Final Inspection and Project Commissioning

9/2016

Figure D Project schedules

Step 1: Project Planning
Project starts with a plan, day-by-day, and week-by-week. This plan takes into account
operational schedule, material lead-times, engineering, permitting, construction crew scheduling,
and utility interconnection requirements.
Step 2: Securing Permits
This typically has the longest lead-time, so it's critical that it gets early attention. Proper research
and outreach can expedite the negotiation and completion of permits
Step 3: Schedule Review
Operations and facilities staff will review the schedule and any concerns will be addressed.
Minimizing disruption to operations will be a big priority. Construction crew schedule will be
assured to be productive while being minimally disruptive.
Step 4: Construction
Licensed, bonded, and insured contractors that know how to run PV installation projects will be
paramount to success. Progress updates will be provided of potential conflicts, and
communication will be maintained with scheduled reports.
Step 5: Municipality Sign-Off
After construction is completed, governing municipality will inspect the system. Additional work
may be required and if so it will be completed to the inspectors' satisfactions.
Step 6: Ongoing Performance Monitoring and Maintenance
The system will be monitored carefully during the first month to ensure proper and efficient
operation. Maintenance of the system will be of priority and will be provided by SolarCity.

Organizational Chart:

There will be a total of 200 people that make up the organization while operating on this
project. A large portion of our team is allocated to project operations. The president will be in
charge of major project decisions and will be responsible for the company operations. The
accounting director will be in charge of the accounting associates who will be responsible for
company finances and pay activities. They will also oversee the firms cash flow and liabilities.
The public relations director and his associates will be in charge of getting information to the
public to try and minimize any issues that may arise from construction work. Maintaining the
safety of employees and civilians is of high priority to the company. The human resources
department will recruit and hire the needed personnel to complete the project. Human Resources
Associates will also handle employee relations and address any employee concerns. The director
of operations will have to convey work schedules and other necessary information to the
mechanical, construction, and electrical crews.

Figure E Organizational Structure Chart

Figure F Budget table

Budget:

The budget for the Solar Squad consist of two categories Materials and Labor. The
materials section is divided into 4 items: Photovoltaics (PV) modules, Metal structures,
Machinery, and Batteries. All of these components will add up and consume 72.5% of the
budget. Labor is divided into 8 items which are: Management, Panel installation, Construction,
Design, Electrical, Mechanical, Maintenance, and Miscellaneous. These items will take 27.5% of
the budget.
For the Photovoltaics (PV) modules, we are getting a special discount from SPS Solar
Panel Store. The unit price for one module is $204.55. So, the cost for 33,000 panels is
$6,750,000. The project is going to use SUN XTENDER BATTERIES 12V with a price per unit
of $100. With 33,000 panels, the total cost of batteries is $3,300,000. The metal structures that
we are using are sold by Metric Ton. These resources are going to be imported from China and
will incur a total cost of $2,250,000 for 3,462 metric tons. The total estimated expenses for this
project is approximately $20,000,000.

Conclusion:

In summary, this project will create a lasting impact on the University of Texas at Dallas
by increasing its energy sustainability. The environmental impact the solar panels will have will
reduce the GHG emission by 2.25 percent annually. The campus will become more energy
efficient and the expenditures on electricity will decrease significantly.
The proposed project is an environmentally friendly alternative to the natural energy
sources the university uses now. Our proposal is a flexible model that can be altered and can be
expanded upon in the future if the university wants to further develop its renewable energy
sustainability. This proposition is a big step in the right direction in getting the university to alter
the way energy is consumed and reduce the carbon footprint this institution is leaving.
Additionally, this proposal offers the potential for academic growth in the form of more
specialized courses in renewable energy. This addition could increase student enrollment if the
university were to make a curriculum for students that focuses on an energy industry that is
expected to expand in the coming years. Introducing new courses that allow students to focus on
this industry would give the University of Texas at Dallas a recruiting advantage over many other
institutions. This university could be a significant proponent to the advancement of photovoltaic
technology by contributing innovation through research and development.
Finally, the partnership we have entered into with SolarCity allows the company to
further increase the relationship with the city of Dallas. SolarCity provides this project an
expertise that is invaluable to making this project a success. It has systems and methods that have
been successful in similar projects. This will increase the efficiency of the project.

Figure G Projected solar panel structure on rooftop

(Retrieved July 29, 2015 from http://news.fullerton.edu/2012fa/images/Solar-Rooftop-hr.jpg)

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