A class of solar utilization students installed two rooftop heat collectors to learn about solar thermal systems and to benefit the home.

“This is a great example of the innovative ways our faculty implement our signature hands-on education,” said SUNY Canton President Joseph L. Kennedy. “These students’ efforts embody our mission to remain dedicated to sustainability and environmental conservation.”

Students were involved in the process from start to finish, gaining experience in discussing the benefits of renewable energy, technical training in determining material needs, costs, scheduling and layout. They made two presentations to the College Foundation and facilities personnel to garner support for the project.

The students then installed the two solar collectors on the roof of the house and made plumbing connections to the existing hot water system. The roof-mounted collectors utilize solar energy to warm antifreeze, which in turn warms water for showers, cooking, laundry, and other uses throughout the house. Much like conventional hot water heating, the newly installed system stores the water in a tank for later use.

“A solar thermal system is one of the most cost effective ways to reduce fossil fuel energy consumption for residential applications,” said Matthew D. Bullwinkel, associate professor of engineering technology who taught the course.  “The students did an excellent job adapting the new technology to the existing structure.”

Throughout the summer months, the system produced storage tank temperatures well over 140 degrees Fahrenheit, the minimum recommended temperature setting for hot water tanks.

“The system performed well,” Bullwinkel noted. “Many people don’t think there is enough sun in Northern New York to use the solar collectors. We actually have enough sunlight to produce more hot water than is currently used at the house.”

SUNY Canton students will continue to maintain the system and use it as learning tool. The system will also be used for research into solar hot water performance in the area.

“Being able to collect data from an actual residential setting versus what we would get from simulating one in a lab has been great,” Bullwinkel added. “We’re appreciative of the overwhelming support we received from Dr. Kennedy, the College Foundation, the Canino School of Engineering Technology, and our facilities department.”

The College’s Canino School of Engineering Technology is involved in solar thermal curriculum training programs through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

The SUNY Canton Alumni House is located at 8 Stillman Drive in Canton, just outside of the College’s 555 acre campus. It was named in 2008 to honor 2006 Honorary Alumna Blanche K. Woodcock.

Media inquiries should be directed to Gregory Kie, Media Relations Coordinator, or call 315/386-7528.

Click image to enlarge

Faculty experts from SUNY Canton’s Alternative and Renewable Energy Systems program will be providing valuable Building Performance Institute (BPI) certified Building Analyst training, beginning Feb. 23 in Watertown.

“Every building works as a system,” said Michael J. Newtown, an Assistant Professor in the Alternative and Renewable Energy Systems program and BPI Instructor. “We show contractors why some homes fail, why some excel, and how to resolve residential heating and cooling problems.”

Newtown said that the training uses a “whole house” performance-based approach with the end result of a more comfortable, safe, and durable home.

Upcoming SUNY Canton BPI trainings include courses beginning at:

• 3 p.m., Feb. 23, at the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Watertown.
• 9 a.m., March 2, at ComLinks in Malone.
• 9 a.m., March 15, at Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh.
• 3 p.m., April 19, at SUNY Canton.

Newtown and his staff of highly trained professionals will also be offering Envelope Professional training beginning at 9 a.m. April 5 at the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Watertown.

“The knowledge contained in the BPI trainings make contractors more marketable to prospective clients,” Newtown said. “As end consumers look to save money and be ‘greener,’ building efficiency is becoming a necessity rather than a luxury.”

The BPI training includes 24 hours of classroom instruction and 12 hours of field training. Topics include identifying building performance problems such as ice dams, air quality issues, calculating energy consumption and analysis, and analyzing buildings using “blower door” technology. Written and field exams for the Building Analyst Professional certification follow the trainings.

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will reimburse 75 to 100 percent of the training program fee upon successful completion of the course.

For more information or to register, visit www.canton.edu/bpi/ or contact Art Garno at SUNY Canton at 315.386.7197 or garnoa@canton.edu.

Majoring in Renewable Energy
By KEITH SCHNEIDER
Published: March 26, 2008

As business and industry are taking more interest in renewable energy, academia is not far behind. Anticipating increased demand for new technical and design skills, colleges and universities across the nation are offering degree programs in the field. Full story

Media inquiries should be directed to Gregory Kie, Media Relations Coordinator, or call 315/386-7528.

WARMING DONATION - Pictured are Matthew Flynn, AREA Instructional Support Associate, and Greg LaPoint, Rental Program Manager for Enbridge Services in Massena.

Enbridge Services recently donated two hot water heaters to the Alternative and Renewable Energy Applications (AREA) program. Students will be using the two hot water heaters to design, install, and research a system that uses solar preheating as a way to decrease energy usage. Adding a solar thermal system to a conventional gas or electric hot water heater is one of the most cost effective renewable energy measures that a homeowner can utilize, according to Michael Newtown, AREA Program Director. AREA is one of the largest Bachelor’s degree programs at the college and is the largest in the Canino School of Engineering Technology.

GREENER MACHINES — SUNY Canton Senior Grounds Worker Todd Flanagan stands with Shaun Jones, an Alternative and Renewable Energy Applications student who helped produce 500 gallons of B20 biodiesel fuel for the college's lawnmowers.

SUNY Canton is getting a bit greener with help from Alfred R. Place, a graduate of the class of 1949.

Place funds a scholarship that helps students research biodiesel solutions within the Alternative and Renewable Energy Applications (AREA) program. This year Place’s scholarship was given to Shaun Jones who provided 500 gallons of biodiesel for the college’s Maintenance and Ground crews to use in their lawn mowers. Jones created the biodiesel solution with waste cooking oil garnered from Chaney Dining Center.

“By running biodiesel, the college helped combat the rising price gasoline while decreasing our impact on the environment,” Jones said.

Alternative and Renewable Energy Application Assistant Professor Matthew Bullwinkel said that the real world application of biodiesel also helped test the fuel’s reliability. “Workers were asked to observe any changes in the mechanical operations of the equipment while they were using the B20 solution,” Bullwinkel said.

The only notable effect of using the alternative fuel source was the new scent of the exhaust. Evidently area pigeons and seagulls found the scent of French fries irresistible.

Ongoing biodiesel research is just one of many ways that the AREA program is seeking to create a greener campus. Students will soon be installing photovoltaic cells on top of Nevaldine Technology center to power the lighting in their classroom and placing a solar hot water heater for research. “When someone flips on the lights in Nevaldine (Room) 110 they will be using energy collected from solar panels on the roof,” said AREA Program Director Michael J. Newtown.

Newtown explained that the new installations will provide hands-on applications of the same renewable energy systems that the students are studying.

Outside of the AREA program, Physical Plant staff members have been implementing greener cleaning agents to combat unnecessary pollution and waste. Almost all of the college’s cleaning products now meet the highest New York State green standards.

“Every year I look for new products that we can use that are safer and more earth-friendly,” said Head Janitor Walter Holmes.

Holmes said many of the cleaning machines and devices that they employ are also becoming more environmentally friendly by utilizing components manufactured from recycled parts that introduce advanced filtration and water saving technologies.

The Energy Fair, which is managed by Community Energy Services, begins on Friday, April 27. Events, seminars, and displays continue through the day Saturday, April 28, at locations in and around the Richard W. Miller Campus Center. There will also be a home tour of energy efficient and off grid homes during the day on Sunday, April 29, at locations across the North Country.

Among the professionals and renewable energy authorities who will be presenting during the weekend are:

• Assistant Professor Michael Newtown will be presenting “Energy for Everybody” an introduction to renewable energy at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Miller Campus Center. Newtown is the AREA program director and advises the college’s student solar boat team.
• On-Line Learning Technician Jerry Bartlett will be sharing and explaining his unique gift for revamping in a session entitled “Creative Retrofits for Off-Grid Living” at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Miller Campus Center. Bartlett has created a diesel motorcycle capable of achieving more than 100 miles per gallon and uses solar panels and wind turbines to power his home. Bartlett’s off-grid home is also a feature on the home tour.
• Jim Merkel, Sustainability Director at Dartmouth College, will be presenting “Creating a Sustainable College Campus” at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Miller Campus Center. Merkel authored “Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth” and transformed his life into a model of economic sustainability. He created a personal economy that allowed him to live on just $5,000 per year, which is very close to the global average income.
• Assistant Professor Matthew Bullwinkel, an AREA Program Faculty Member will be presenting an informational and instructional session on solar hot water systems at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Miller Campus Center. Bullwinkel supervises the college’s biodiesel research and also works with the solar boat team.
• SUNY Canton Alumnus Daniel Haas, managing director of Noble Environmental Systems, will be presenting “Wind Energy in New York State” at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Kingston Theater. Haas oversees the design and construction of Noble’s wind energy facilities. He has been personally responsible for the design and construction of power facilities, including the installation of more than 1,000 wind turbines in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, India, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

All events are free and open to the public. For a complete listing of events and seminars at the North Country Sustainable Energy Fair, visitwww.ncenergy.org.