The sun is an enormous fusion reactor.  One that’s about 93 million miles away from us, holds the majority of the mass of our solar system and has an output of 3.8*1033 W.  It’s the origin of most of the energy that we consume, from hydroelectricity and wind power, to fossil fuels and biofuels.

And then there are the ways in which we actively utilize sunlight to meet our energy needs, such as photovoltaic cells, passive solar heating and using natural lighting.  These are all energy harnessing methods that are being employed across the UMD campus.

The new Bagley Nature Center, which opened in June, was built to utilize the sun’s energy to its fullest potential.  A roof-mounted solar  array was designed to meet 90% of the energy needs of the building.  And with the long summer days and sunlight’s low angle of incidence this time of year, the building is receiving its fullest potential of energy.  The building also requires little to no lighting during the day, as it was constructed with large windows and solar tubes that allow for an abundance of natural lighting.

A 5.8 KW photovoltaic array can also be found atop of Malosky Stadium.  The live output for the array can be found online at the Solar Research Project website.

Found throughout campus are the BigBelly trash compactor units. These units rely on solar power for their compaction process, reducing the number of pick ups and overall emissions.

Keeping an eye out for ways to conserve energy is a responsibility that we all share.  But we also need to look towards the future and where we obtain our energy from.

A future powered by solar energy could definitely be a brighter one.