ASU’s Photovoltaic Testing Lab gives “green” light to outreach projects

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The ASU Photovoltaic Testing Lab (PTL) has been a source of sparks since its inception in 1991, when it first began connecting a diverse spectrum of communities with the power of solar energy. At Phoenix Central High School, students in the E-Tech Club have created what is believed to be the only self-sustaining internal combustion car that runs on sunlight and water, constructed in part with solar panels donated by the PTL.

“The project inspired many students to go on to engineering, but more importantly this program has resulted in more people with good background knowledge of alternative energy sources.” said Cory Waxman, physics teacher at Central High School and advisor to the club.

Since Waxman first contacted ASU five years ago with the idea for his project, the PTL has pursued additional opportunities to encourage sustainable energy and help local communities.

Most recently, the PTL has collaborated with the Arizona Department of Commerce’s Energy Office to provide over a thousand solar panels for the Tribal Rural Electrification Program.

“There are multiple benefits to our collaboration with ASU PTL,” said Debby Tewa, the Renewable and Tribal Energy Coordinator at the Arizona Department of Commerce Energy Office. “There are folks out there who still use propane lamps or their car batteries to get electricity into their homes. The donated panels place community focus not only on renewable energy but also on safety and education about how to use energy sources off the grid.”
 
The PTL’s past projects include constructing a solar-powered water pump in Ecuador’s Andes Mountains and donating solar panel modules to science classes at New Mexico Highlands University, Frank W. Reilly Elementary School in Chicago, Mesa Community College and several high schools in the Valley.

The PTL has established cross-disciplinary relationships with Mechanical Engineering, Architecture and Electrical Engineering to incorporate curricula that inspire and challenge students to apply their knowledge in ways that make a difference in the community. They also cooperate with the Global Institute of Sustainability where Waxman is pursuing his doctoral degree.

“Once you get into this stuff, you can’t get out,” laughed Waxman who is writing a thesis about bringing sustainable, especially solar, energy concepts to high school students. Dr. Nicholas Hild, who teaches the course Current Environmental Technology Issues in Sustainable Practices, agrees. “We focus on hands on experience and take students on a lot of field trips,” he said.“For example, when students visit places like the hydrogen house in Scottsdale, they see that all sorts of 'green' systems can be built into their own homes, and tell me that they were inspired to add some of them to their own residences. They are the community and they are changing it.”

Making a difference in the community is an essential part of the mission of the PTL. As the department’s web site points out, their outreach gives students, faculty and staff an opportunity to contribute to the communities to which they belong. They speak to high school students about the future of science and educate local groups on state of the art systems for alternative energy. They also participate in state, national or international activities that help bring new programs and projects to the market. The PTL uses outreach as an opportunity to make a difference in their neighborhood, be it an elementary school in Mesa or a corporation based in China.

The PTL has come a long way over the past sixteen years. It started out as a one-room laboratory with no equipment, facilities or client contracts. Armed with commitment and a clearly defined strategy, the PTL has grown to be the only design qualification laboratory in the United States, employing 23 people at any given time, including up to 13 students. In fact, beginning in this fall, ASU students now have the option of Alternative Energy Technologies as a concentration in the undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered by the Electronic Systems Department.

“Solar energy is the cleanest kind of energy Arizona has, but using it as a serious source of energy is unexplored,” says Dr. Govindasamy Tamizh-Mani, director of the PTL. “When we look toward the future, the only [truly sustainable] energy is solar. With this in mind, our lab’s mission is to serve the industry by providing students with the academic background they need to affect communities not just here, but around the world.” 

Lucia Bill, ASU in the Community feature writer
Lucia.Bill@asu.edu
480-727-8339

To learn more about how ASU is engaged with the community, please visit ASU in the Community’s Program Database which connects you to a wide variety of specific ASU outreach efforts.