SOLAR IVY? University of Utah student leading what may be first installation in North America

Thomas Melburn grew up in St. Louis and attended two different colleges in California before he finally landed as a junior at the University of Utah in Salt Lake 1.5 years ago. His school-hopping ended up being a good thing: He is now leading the installation of what he says isn’t just the coolest renewable energy project he has ever heard of — it may also be the first installation of its kind in North America.

Tom heard about solar energy-producing “ivy” from friends who are interested in solar energy. Majoring in environmental and sustainability studies, he immediately understood the potential for installing this product on his campus — located at 4,000 feet above sea level and enjoying about 300 days of sunshine per year — and funding it through the school’s Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund. The fund collects $2.50 from each of the university’s 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students per semester to create a $200,000 annual fund for student-driven sustainability initiatives.

Tom contacted the solar ivy manufacturer, Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology in Brooklyn, NY, and learned that if he were to be successful with installing solar ivy on a school building wall, it could represent the first such installation in North America.

“I went around campus and scouted out possible places for it to be installed, took the measurements, and the manufacturer came back with a cost analysis and computer-generated pictures of what the ivy would look like,” Tom said. “I developed my proposal, estimating the cost of what the system would save the school, and applied. I asked for $42,000 and the Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund agreed to give me $30,000. That meant I only had to raise $12,000 to make it happen.”

Tom has raised the balance needed by requesting donations among students and faculty — a $25 pledge pays for the balance due on a $60 leaf after the grant contribution is applied. A substantial donation by a friend has allowed him to meet his fundraising goal.

For his project, Tom selected the 800 square-foot, south-facing wall of a 1950s-era, undergraduate, brick building. Orson Spencer Hall, a very energy inefficient building, is located on a main corridor that every university students walks frequently. The photovoltaic ivy will be mounted on the second floor, beyond the reach of people on the ground, and will blend well with existing landscaping.

Anchors and steel mesh will be screwed to the wall, with a minimal impact to the brick, and the “ivy leaves” will be attached to the mesh. The leaf system will plug into an electrical input inside the building, which then connects to the entire university’s energy grid.

Each of the 800 or so 12 x 12-inch solar leaves has a 10 x 10-inch solar panel. The leaves — of different shades of green to mimic biological ivy — are made from 100 percent recycled materials, mostly plastic. The university’s symbol, a big U, is also integrated into the design.

Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology offers different types of solar panels, including an organic one that is completely biodegradable but is less efficient than other types of panels. Tom has selected a panel that’s reasonably priced, efficient, and less detrimental to the environment than are silicon solar panels.

The project is moving quickly now, Tom said. “It’s been a wild ride — a pretty much full-time job for the last 10 to 11 months — constantly meeting with people, getting approvals, and talking to architects and engineers, biology and chemistry students — it’s been fascinating.

“The panels are being manufactured now and are scheduled for installation in late spring or early summer,” he continued. “We’re also selecting the most cost-efficient contractors to install the system. People are jumping out of their seats… to do this installation. Since we sent out a press release about our project at school, Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology has been bombarded with work, so this has been great for the university and for the company.”

The solar ivy investment won’t pay for itself for 15 to 20 years — the wall of ivy is expected to generate about 3 kW, enough to power all of the electricity needs of a house. “And we won’t be able to tell where the energy is distributed, even though we will be able to receive data on performance and output,” Tom said.

But that’s not what counts the most with this project, he explained: “My proposal was approved based on the fact that… we’re increasing awareness of new technologies and innovations, and of our reliance on archaic fuels to power our lives. I figure this project is a transition for students to look at and say, hey, this is the kind of stuff we should focus on as we create new energy technologies for future generations.”

Now a senior, Tom has applied to grad schools. Columbia’s Masters in Public Affairs in Environmental Science and Policy is his top choice. He’s also applying to programs that offer joint business and environmental science master’s degrees. “I’m more and more interested in how we come to terms with the environmental policies in our world, and I think the interdisciplinary approach to solving these problems is very important,” he said.

Meanwhile, a few other conservation and renewable energy projects are perking at
the University of Utah, also funded by the Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund and also benefiting the university’s electrical grid. For example, Tom said, faculty advisor Kent Udell has invented and is creating “ice ball cooling,” which involves freezing water during the winter deeply underground on the campus, and then releasing the cold little by little during the summer to cool the buildings.

Tom is hopeful for the future of renewable energy. “Renewable energy technology is evolving very quickly,” he said. “Solar will become less expensive as coal gets more expensive. Once we reach equilibrium, we’ll see more serious efforts toward renewable energy technologies.”

For more information about local renewable energy initiatives involving youth and post-secondary students, check out Focus the Nation.