A 10kW flexible thin-film solar array and monitoring system was recently installed on the roof of the University of Notre Dame’s . The light-weight flexible panels lie flat and are attached directly to the surface of the roof with an adhesive.

Connected directly to the University’s power grid, the array will help meet Fitzpatrick’s electricity demand, supplying an estimated 12,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

The array is comprised of panels from two different manufacturers, Uni Solar and Solopower. Both panels employ a thin-film solar technology that is the first of its kind on campus. Inovateus Solar, a national solar distributor based in South Bend, donated this installation to the University and will use array as an energy production demonstration model of the two solar panel models.

“This project gives us the opportunity to demonstrate how flexible thin-film solar technology is installed and compare the performance of two different types of thin-film panels side-by-side,” explained Peter Rienks, project manager for Inovateus Solar.

This solar installation is the third “rooftop renewable” on campus, following last year’s installation of a on the roof of Stinson-Remick Hall and last month’s installation of a vertical-axis on the roof of the power plant.

Inovateus Solar first proposed the project to the in 2009, and this month’s installation marks the culmination of two years of cooperation between Inovateus Solar, the Office of Sustainability, and the .

Innovateus Solar was able to complete this installation at no cost to the University with the help of generous donations and discounts of parts and labor from Uni Solar, Solopower, SMA, Shoals, Midland Engineering and Koontz Wagner.

“This renewable energy project helps the University move toward its goal of reducing the carbon-intensity of its electricity production and will also serve as an important academic resource on campus,” said Heather Christopherson, Notre Dame’s director of sustainability.

The new solar array will offer substantial research opportunities for faculty and students. A real-time monitoring system will allow for easy analysis of the array’s productivity under different conditions. Additionally, the array’s flexible thin-film technology will afford controlled comparisons with the more traditional solar array already installed on Stinson-Remick Hall.

The newest addition to the Notre Dame campus skyline, demonstrating the University’s commitment to renewable energy, was mounted on the roof of the Notre Dame power plant last week.

The turbine, one of several renewable energy initiatives currently underway at Notre Dame, can generate up to four kilowatts of power and will feed directly into the campus electrical grid. Although its purpose is largely educational, its size, vertical axis design and highly visible location distinguish it from other campus renewable energy projects.

“Our intention was to use this project as a stepping stone to additional sustainability initiatives in on-campus energy,” said , professor of chemistry and biochemistry and the coordinator for the (COSCOS). “This turbine is small enough for residential use. The data that we collect from the campus turbine may help people in the community decide whether wind is an option for them.”

Notre Dame’s is also working toward installing two horizontal axis wind turbines in White Field. With both turbine designs on campus, performance comparisons can be made between the two which could potentially facilitate research opportunities.

The installation is the result of a COSCOS project, began in 2009, and was made possible by generous institutional funding from the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), a significant personal contribution by Notre Dame alumnus John O’Connor and financial assistance from the .

The installation of the wind turbine and Notre Dame’s partnership with NIPSCO comes as “part of a broader, more comprehensive plan to position the University and NIPSCO as innovators in the field of renewable energy, educators in the conservation effort and leaders in the realm of sustainability,” said Rudy Reyes Jr., associate director of development in the .

Ongoing renewable energy projects at Notre Dame include the on the rooftop of Stinson-Remick Hall, installed in the summer of 2010. A second solar array is planned for the rooftop of Fitzpatrick-Cushing Hall of Engineering.

More information on sustainability at Notre Dame is available .