RCC tech students build solar panels to convert sunlight into energy

WENTWORTH — On the northwest side of a 1,000-square-foot home built on the Rockingham Community College campus, RCC’s electrical/electronic technology students are erecting and installing 17 photovoltaic panels in a prepared field. During the day, the panels will absorb the sun’s rays and convert them into energy — enough to meet the needs inside the house.

The back of the house faces south and receives the most sunlight. There, heating and air conditioning students have installed a panel for solar hot water.

Built by former RCC students, the house is a short walk from the college’s two Industrial Technologies buildings. The interior is a shell with exposed circuitry used for training purposes. The photovoltaic panels and solar hot water system, however, are completely new: the program’s first foray into solar energy.

Instructors Keith Elliott and Will Soyars have been working toward this moment for several years by taking classes on solar systems at North Carolina State University. Elliott then helped put solar panels at a Park and Ride station in Raleigh, and Soyars installed panels on the NCSU campus.

“The process of wiring solar is basically the same as non-solar,” said Elliott. “The difference is in monitoring its productivity.”

Solar energy components have been added to four electrical/electronic classes — two in basic wiring, one in DC/AC electricity, and one in process controls with programmable logic controllers (PLCs). The panels installed this year will be used as teaching tools in future classes. Students will study their wiring, maintenance needs, and integration. They will learn how to monitor the systems to determine their efficiency. And through a small wind turbine recently installed adjacent to the Industrial Technologies Building, students will receive an introduction to wind power systems.

Two other campus programs are also using or teaching facets of solar energy. Brad Overby, horticulture technology instructor, will install a solar heating system in a campus greenhouse and Keith Sigmon, instructor for air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration technology, has integrated solar hot water training into his program.

Elliott and Soyars want to continue what they have begun by installing solar systems to all campus buildings. To do so, they need grant funding. According to Elliott, an 80-gallon solar hot water system cost about $3,000. Photovoltaic panels cost approximately $800 each. Once installed, though, they are guaranteed to last for 20-25 years, allowing students to get hands-on experience in this new solar world.