Event

The Physics Department hosts a seminar by Dr. Paul Ruscher, Associate Professor of Meteorology and Climatology, Florida State University, on Thursday 16^th December, 2010, at 2 pm, at the Faculty of Science and Agriculture, Room 413. Dr. Ruscher will present on the topic Atmospheric Factors Limiting Solar Energy Efficiency in the Tropics – Application to Trinidad and Tobago.

Abstract

The tropics would seem to be an optimal region in which solar energy can be utilized at maximum efficiency in an effort to improve the use of renewable energy sources and move towards sustainability. Yet, the tropical atmosphere has some rather unique characteristics that may often limit the practical use, particularly when fossil fuel sources are either readily available or are inexpensive. In addition, many solar panels are rated with efficiency factors appropriate for an atmosphere relevant to the US Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s location in Boulder, Colorado, which is certainly quite different from most tropical locations. The present research project is funded at Florida State University as part of an effort at the new Institute for Energy Systems, Economics and Sustainability (IESES) to examine efficient and effective use of alternative energy in the subtropics and tropics.

Engineers often use the Air Mass (AM) as the principal variable that accounts for atmospheric depletion of the incoming solar beam, but from a meteorological perspective this may be inadequate. We focus our efforts on using the SMARTS model to estimate the individual and joint impacts of such factors as water vapor, ozone, aerosol, surface type, horizontal visibility, and air temperature on predicted annual energy availability for a location in St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. We also make preliminary calculations to incorporate the effects of cloud measurements, as meteorologists would use them, to try to examine more realistic depletion curves. Finally, we provide some educational perspectives on how measurements can be obtained from local sources or relevant science education programs to facilitate energy exploration in local schools, using protocols from the GLOBE science program.