Photovoltaic cells capture the sun’s energy and convert is into electricity. Many college campuses, such as Harvard University, Smith College, and the University of Vermont have already installed and implemented this energy saving technology. Based on these precedents, the Sun Riders studied the potential for photovoltaic cells at WPI. The group performed a cost analysis of environmentally friendly photovoltaic cells and calculated the payback period for installing a minimally complicated configuration of this technology on the rooftops of six buildings on the WPI campus. The cost savings would be $1,779,000 over the next 25 years with the initial cost factored in. Without any rebates, the payback period of this project is 19.5 years.

Creator

• Haroian, Carol
• Patterson, Sam
• Sarapas, Nathan
• Wang, Cathy

Contributors

• Spanagel, David I.

Subject

• Power the World

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Language

• English

Identifier

• GPS1302

Year

• 2009

Date created

• 2009-01-01

Resource type

• Poster

Rights statement

• In Copyright

License

• Creative Commons BY-NC Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International