Pennsylvania State University NECA Student Chapter
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Pennsylvania State University NECA
Student Chapter
Sustainable Water Pumping Station
Roatán, Honduras
Photovoltaic System
Dr. David Riley
DRiley@engr.psu.edu
814-863-2079
Kevin Clement Jackie Eury
Kic5220@psu.edu Jze5059@psu.edu
Chris McCleary Kiley Johns
Crm5369@psu.edu Kaj5185@psu.edu
Pennsylvania State University NECA Student Chapter
Abstract
Affordable and reliable clean energy is a critical challenge facing emerging communities.
The Pennsylvania State University's NECA Student Chapter has designed a photovoltaic array that
will run a water pump in the community of Oak Ridge, located on the island of Roatán, Honduras.
This will provide water to hundreds of members of the community. The existing water pump
currently relies on an expensive and unreliable grid connection. This water pump is also located
right next to a community center which will expand the visibility and educational impact of the
proposed project. Students from various majors and backgrounds will gain hands-on experience in
photovoltaic array design and installation while continuing to build upon the university’s existing
relationship with members of Roatán’s community including the local electrical contracting mentor,
Vegas Electric. This unique experience will be mutually beneficial for the Penn State students,
Vegas Electric, and the involved citizens of Honduras. Adding to this experience, we will invite
Penn State alumni to join our team in Honduras as mentors and as a way to strengthen student-
alumni relations in the industry. As a result, our team will help to promote the professional
development of our peers, advance our NECA Student Chapter and strengthen bonds with the
Roatán community as we work together to provide clean water in the community of Oak Ridge.
Impact
This project will have a positive impact on the NECA Student Chapter, the Pennsylvania
State University, and the local community in Roatán. This project will allow the NECA student
chapter to increase its target audience by expanding its programs outside of The Green Energy
Challenge by giving students a once in a lifetime experience to apply knowledge learned in the
classroom to a community that can benefit greatly, while also learning to appreciate the culture of
Roatán, Honduras. The project will be part of a one credit solar design course offered at Penn
State, which will prepare students for their trip both technically and culturally. This project will be
used as a model to show students, faculty, and alumni the importance of continuing to push for
sustainability and renewable energy not only in the United States, but internationally as well.
Projects like this one will continue to broaden the social and environmental impact that Penn State
has around the world today. Also, through alumni involvement, the student-alumni relationship will
continue to flourish, opening the door for more opportunities to learn from each other, while also
creating the potential for recruiting talented students to alumni’s respective companies.
The community of Oak Ridge will be positively impacted by the proposed solar photovoltaic
array because diesel fuel is the primary source of electricity generation in Roatán and electricity
prices are very high. This high cost of energy prevents low income communities from running their
water pump as often as they would like. The proposed PV array will provide power to the water
pump, so they are able to run the pump more often in order to supply their community with drinking
water. During the trip, the student group will take the time to inspect past solar array projects that
Penn State student groups have installed to make sure they are operating properly and make the
proper adjustments. While visiting past sites, students will collect any information to help improve
future photovoltaic array designs. The student group will also plan to spend time with other non-
profit organizations operating within the area so the students will have a better understanding of
the work that others are doing to improve the island community and network to expand our impact
during future trips.
Pennsylvania State University NECA Student Chapter 1
Vegas Electric is a NECA partner in Roatán, Honduras that Penn State students will pair up
with in order to install our proposed solar array. Charles “Vegas” George has worked with Penn
State students in the past to install photovoltaic arrays and his team has been very reliable, thus
allowing for a successful completion of the project. Vegas Electric will provide educational
workshops, guided by Penn State faculty, to prepare students for the installation process. Vegas
Electric will also benefit by increasing their market presence on the island community, which has
the potential to lead to more renewable energy projects in the future.
Site
The site for this proposed project has been evaluated by a group of Penn State students on
their previous visit. During their trip, the students recognized how much of a challenge it was for
the community members to obtain water in Roatán due to the high cost of electricity. The
community center is located along a hillside with trees on all sides. However, the open space
created by the community center allows for the array to function shade free for the vast majority of
time. Additional shading sources will be identified by the Penn State student group and community
members will be educated on how to maintain those sources (Refer to the attachments to find
photos of the proposed site) The solar array will be partially mounted on the roof with the remaining
portion serving as an elevated canopy mounted to the ground. The canopy will give community
members a place to sit in the shade before or after obtaining water.
PV Array Design
Figure 1 below shows the three line diagram for the 2.2 kW PV design.
Figure 1: Three line schematic design
Pennsylvania State University NECA Student Chapter 2
It begins with the utility distribution entering the water pump’s location. There is already an
existing step down transformer and a main breaker. This is placed on a 2-pole 20A back-feed
breaker to 120/240 VAC loads. At this point the entire system will have a ground. The AC power
will then go through an AC fused disconnect serviced by the utility with a 300 VAC surge arrestor
attached. A meter will be attached before the inverter to show the power generated from the PV
system. The inverter being used is a Sunny Boy SB 3000US 3 kW with 600 V DC max input, 240 V
AC output, and an integrated DC disconnect. The array will consist of a single string of 12 Kyocera
KD205GX-LP 205W panels. The panels will be mounted on a Unirac racking system,
approximately one-third roof mounted and the other two-thirds ground mounted to form the canopy.
A model of this can be seen in the attachments.
Schedule
The overall schedule of the Penn State Student Chapter will include activities this summer
through the end of the spring 2015 semester. It will be structured to ensure the success of this
project, but also for similar future projects. Should our proposal be accepted this summer, one
student in our chapter along with a faculty member would go to Toronto to present the proposal at
the ELECTRI Council July meeting. If the project is awarded, during the fall, members of the
student chapter would help to recruit new members for the upcoming spring activities including the
review of applications to the program in partnership with our advisors. Additionally, fundraisers will
be held at local restaurants to help offset the costs for the project. During the spring semester,
there will be a class held designated solely to the trip to Honduras. The trip itself would occur over
Penn State’s spring break, which is the week of March 9th, 2015. After the trip has concluded, the
students who went on the trip would document the trips’ experiences and future site assessment.
The students then who are not graduating that spring would then take on the proposal for the
following year with guidance from the seniors to continue the success of the Penn State Student
Chapter, and hopefully submit a proposal to the Passport program in 2015 to help us continue our
momentum.
The daily timeline while at Roatán, Honduras will not be just based solely on installing the
PV array in Roatán, but will also include visiting future sites and exploring coral reefs:
Day 1: Orientation and preview with Vegas Electric
Day 2: Prefabrication at Vegas Electric
Day 3: Installation of rack, array, and BOS
Day 4: Electrical work and commissioning
Day 5: Site visits to future project locations
Day 6: Close examination of coral reef health
Documentation
It is very important for our chapter to ensure that this trip is well documented and promoted
to others so they are able to learn from the student’s experience in Roatán, and so that both our
chapter and the Passport program can continue to grow. Documentation will be an important way
to create more interest in the NECA Student Chapter among students and alumni to Penn State,
and also to recognize our sponsors. During the project, students will share their experiences on a
Pennsylvania State University NECA Student Chapter 3
blog where pictures of their accomplishments and activities will be posted. Our team will post
pictures and videos on many social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The
student chapter has its own Facebook page which will be able to broadcast the enlightening
experience our team received in Roatán. Once the team returns home, a poster and presentation
will be created to summarize our experience. These will be used to share the project with
freshmen seminar courses and at an event with our Penn-Del-Jersey NECA Chapter sponsor. We
would also seek to share our project with ELECTRI International members and student chapter
peers during the NECA Convention to promote the value and hopefully the growth of the Student
Passport program. Articles will also be posted on the Penn State sustainability website as well as
the alumni news website. All of these are ways to inform Penn State students, faculty, and alumni
as well as the general public how sustainability is being implemented by college students.
Budget & Fundraising
Based on past experience and estimates, our overall expected budget is approximately
$45,000 including materials and travel costs for 15 students and 2 instructors. Final costs will not
be clear until we are able to confirm group rates and reservations for accommodations. A
breakdown of our estimate is below.
Project Cost Estimate
Description Quantity Cost ($) Total Expense ($)
Rack System 1 3,400 3,400
Inverter 1 2,000 2,000
Photovoltaic 2.2 kW PV 2,200 4.50 9,900
Array Existing Service Upgrade 1 2,000 2,000
PV Total $17,300
Airfare 17 860 14,620
6 day accommodation 17 528 8,976
Team Travel Meals 17 210 3,570
On-site Travel 1 550 550
Travel Total $27,716
Total Estimate $45,016
The budget for the photovoltaic array is approximately $17,000 dollars based on past
experience. We are currently pursuing multiple activities to reduce the costs of the project
including:
O’Connell Electric Sponsor $9,900 (letter attached)
PACE Sponsorship $10,000 (letter attached)
Unirac Donation Undecided amount (letter attached)
Penn Del-Jersey NECA Undecided amount (letter attached)
In addition, Vegas Electric also has committed to help support this project by allowing us to
Pennsylvania State University NECA Student Chapter 4
use the facilities and necessary equipment. They will also provide electricians to help with the
installation and completion of the project. The letters of commitment for these companies and
organizations can be found in the attachments.
Finally, student applicants will be asked to pay a fee that will be used to cover the
difference between our fundraising efforts and the actual final project costs. There are also ways
for the student chapter to receive money from the University to help with travel and hotel expenses
that we will apply for should our proposal be accepted. Additionally, fundraisers will be held at local
restaurants to raise awareness of the project during the fall semester and beginning of spring
semester. A percentage of the sales during specified hours in a day will go directly to the student
chapter to help cover the costs of this project. The student passport program will be feasible with
the help of these donations and sponsorships.
Confirmation from Faculty Member
Pennsylvania State University NECA Student Chapter 5
Partnership for Achieving Construction Excellence
104 Engineering Unit A
University Park, PA 16802
Tel: (814) 863 - 2080
Fax: (650) 474-1451
April 2014
ELECTRI International
RE: Student Passport Initiative Competition
Dear Selection Committee,
The Partnership for Achieving Construction Excellence (PACE) is pleased to offer our support
for the Penn State NECA Chapter, in conjunction with Dr. David Riley's advising, in their
Student Passport project. We are excited about the hands on opportunities this will present to
students while engaging in a service project. We have been a proponent of this type of
educational experience and are pleased to be able to provide matching support in the amount of
$10,000 to the project.
The Penn State Chapter of NECA has grown and developed significantly in the past few years.
Their partnership with local NECA Chapters has offered significant mentoring, and this
competition offers a significant, and opportune, experience for the students to expand their
interactions with industry in an invaluable manner. We look forward to seeing the opportunity
come to fruition.
Sincerely,
PAC Director
Robert M. Leicht
*** MEMO ***
For: PSU - NECA Student Chapter
Attn: Dr. David Riley
Mr. Kevin Clement
Date: April 28, 2014
Sirs,
This memo is a follow-up to our previous conversation regarding our continued support for your Student
Passport Program. I understand that your Penn State Student Chapter is in the process of preparing a
proposal for another community service project that will focus on a water pumping installation powered
by a solar energy system. Vegas Electric has been collaborating with PSU since 2009, and we are
committed to providing on-going logistical and technical support for your projects here in Honduras. Our
past relationship with students at Penn State has been very positive and has allowed us to share our
knowledge and experience working in the less economically developed region.
Vegas Electric would like to again offer our support to Penn State by helping them install the planned
2.5kW solar energy system to serve a water pump in the community of Oak Ridge. We will be able to
assist the students in teaching them how to install the various components of the PV system as well as
ensure that all work is performed safely and to industry standards. We will also provide logistical support
as required to assure that all necessary equipment, tools, and ancillary materials will be readily available
when the students arrive in Honduras. The students will also be able to use the Vegas Electric shop
facility for prefabrication of the array to allow for a more efficient on-site installation process.
This project will provide the students with a unique opportunity to learn about real world applications
for renewable energy systems and will offer our employees another opportunity to share their
experience and expertise. We look forward to again working with Penn State and to contribution to the
development of our community.
Warmest Regards,
Charles George
HEADQUARTERS SHIPPING ADDRESS US MAILING
Dixon’s Cove, Roatán HYDE SHIPPING CORPORATION RO 647 VEGAS ELECTRIC
Tel: (+504) 445-1309 c/o Vegas Electric - Roatan 444 Brickell Ave. #51
Fax: (+504) 445-1073 10025 NW 116 Way Suite - 2 Miami, FL 33131
Medley, FL 33178 Tel: (813) 774-4732
www.vegaselectric.net vegas@globalnet.hnPhotos:
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