By rdnewsNOW Staff

Among Seven Finalists

Former Red Deer Polytechnic students honoured provincially for solar energy project

Sep 29, 2021 | 10:15 AM

With climate issues heating up and the need to reduce carbon footprints more pressing than ever, a former team of Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) engineering technology students has come up with a bright idea: make installation of solar panels safer, easier and less expensive.

For their green innovation, the former team of Dean Lunde, Alex Morrison, Ethan Fisher, and Ken Wright has been honoured as a provincial finalist for the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta’s (ASET) Capstone Project of the Year Award.

Solar panels attached to the roof of a home harness energy from the sun and convert it into clean electricity. They are described as durable, long-lasting and low-maintenance. As they’ve gained in popularity due to their effectiveness in mitigating fossil fuel consumption and carbon footprints, their cost per watt has decreased, according to ASET officials. However, installation is pricy because it requires the service of technicians with specialized skills who charge high hourly rates.

Officials say current roof solar panel designs usually have at least four anchors with flashing for each panel, necessitating the drilling of holes into the roof and additional effort to ensure those penetrations don’t cause leaks.

The former RDP team sought to prove it was possible to build a clip-type support structure for the solar panels and components. They created a prototype for a mounting system that can be assembled far more easily and quickly than your average piece of IKEA furniture, is simple to install, does not require roof-penetrating anchors, and minimizes the time and tools involved while on the roof of the house, note ASET officials. This means that the process costs less, is safer, and optimizes a return on investment.

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“It only takes a couple of common tools to assemble it – a screwdriver and wrench – and it can be done easily by two people in 15 minutes,” said Lunde, in a press release.

“It’s refreshing to see these engineering technology students develop a new take on green technology by making it more affordable and user-friendly,” said ASET CEO Barry Cavanaugh.

Officials say the use of solar power dates back to 3rd Century BC when Romans and Greeks focused mirrors on torches to light them for religious ceremonies. Fast-forward to 1958 when Bell Labs invented the first solar cell with sufficient efficiency to run everyday equipment.

According to Solar Alberta, Alberta has an excellent, largely untapped solar resource that currently provides less than one per cent of the province’s electrical grid’s make-up. It also has the second highest potential to produce solar energy in all of Canada, ranking closely behind Saskatchewan.

The former RDP team’s project is one of seven finalists named by ASET for the Capstone Project of the Year Award. Officials say the winning project will be announced in late autumn this year.

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