New solar awnings being installed on the southern side of the Onyx bridge will soon provide the building with a trio of benefits.
Despite providing only a kilowatt of energy, the awnings’ design will shade the third floor of the bridge. They will also provide passive cooling for the hallways and rooms beneath, and the energy collected by the panels will be used for lighting.
The idea is a prototype for a larger sustainability effort being pushed across the entire Oregon University System, headed by OUS’s Bob Simonton.
Each panel is four feet long. Twelve panels will line the hallway connecting Pacific and Klamath halls.
Frank Vignola, director of the University’s Solar Energy Center, told the Emerald that researchers will take a look at the energy savings and then consider putting such awnings, in addition to rooftop solar panels and LED lights, on other buildings. The awnings were designed by associate architecture professor Ihab Elzeyadi and his students.
A touch-screen monitoring station will be available for classes to observe energy differences, Vignola said. The floor below, which does not lie in the shade of the solar awning, will also provide a control subject, allowing students to measure the amount of energy saved.
The structure will allow architecture students to see real-world examples of awning design.
The Onyx bridge already has light shells on its roof, and a few University buildings have solar panels, as well. Panels at the Erb Memorial Union function in a similar way, providing shade and energy, Vignola said.