I prepared for my meeting occurring tomorrow which excited me all day today. I can't wait to finally have all these people in the same room to work on a project that I care about so much. I look forward to figuring out solutions to Energy Star Portfolio questions and obstacles regarding responsibility and hand-offs between Palmer Energy and Maumee Valley Maintenance Staff. Part of the reason that this meeting is also so important to me is because I want to make sure that Mr. Miller and the maintenance staff feel comfortable with any changes that will result from my studies and proposals. I am extremely grateful to Mr. Miller for all the advice, data, information, and time he has dedicated to helping me on my learning journey. He may not be part of the faculty, but he has certainly served as a teacher and mentor for me throughout this past year.
Today I also received word that I will be able to tour the facilities of First Solar on the morning of September 6th. First Solar is one of the world's leading industrial solar cell producers and is partially based in Toledo. I am very thankful to Mr. Alex Heard (parent of two MV Alumni) for his willingness to host me for a meeting a couple days ago and for offering to give me a tour.
The remainder of my day I spent investigating solar shades to include in my short-term proposal for the school. By simply stopping sunlight from hitting the windows and walls of the school, hundreds of dollars and numerous kWhs could be saved rather than being spent to cool indoor environments. Another option which I stumbled across today are solar blinds. These blinds not only stop excess sunlight from entering rooms in the summer, but each venetian blind is equipped with its own solar panel (picture below). The sunlight that is saved from heating a cooled room is simultaneously used to create electricity for the building. The brilliance of this idea comes at a high cost, but I believe it is a worthwhile investment and will therefore include it in my long-range proposal.
Tomorrow I have my meeting and must register for the conference occurring in November. I will also continue to compile an itemized list of approaches to energy conservation for both proposals.
