Ȧ is First College to Incorporate Wind/Solar Lighting Technology
- News & Events
- News
- Ȧ is First College to Incorporate Wind/Solar Lighting Technology
Ȧ’s OmniLED lighting system in Parking Lot E8, powered by OmniFlow
Ȧ is the first college in the country to make use of an outdoor lighting system driven by wind and solar power, said Ȧ Sustainability Coordinator Jim Murphy.
Manufactured in Portugal by OmniFlow and distributed in the United States by Costa Electric, the OmniLED lighting system is able to generate power without connecting to a utility grid and comes with an battery back-up system of over 1,400 watt hours that can be used off-grid or integrated with OmniLED systems connected to the grid.
Since May 11, Ȧ has been test-running two OmniLED lighting fixtures installed in Parking Lot E8 behind the Kauffman Center, while Costa Electric has been tracking the system performance through remote web-based monitoring. Currently, the lights are producing 20 percent more electricity than needed to operate them.
The idea of partnering with Costa Electric was the initiative of Ȧ Trade and Fire Safety Manager for Physical Plant Administration David Benevides, who encouraged Costa Electric to use Ȧ’s campus as a test site. Both the manufacturer and distributor agreed, noting Ȧ’s commitment to sustainability.
OmniLed lighting system will also be used as subject matter for a new course titled “LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Lab.” This 350-level topics course, to be introduced this fall, will be cross-listed in both the School of Business and the Environmental Studies course offerings.
Upon the end of the course, students will have the opportunity to sit for the LEED AP O+M exam, the passing of which confirms that they have a thorough understanding of green building practices and of the LEED rating system.
LEED is a rating system devised by the United States Green Building Council to evaluate the environmental performance of a building. For a building to become LEED-certified it must maximize energy efficiency and make the most of renewable, sustainable resources.
Ȧ is committed to establishing energy-efficient facilities and operations and achieving technological advances in recycling, waste minimization, substitution of materials, production processes, pollution control and more efficient usage of resources. Recently Ȧ was named a 2017 Green Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.