USU Breaks Ground on Electric Roadway Test Facility

Utah State University broke ground Sept. 23 for its Electric Vehicle and Roadway (EVR) Research Facility and Test Track, the first facility of its kind in the United States.

The complex will include a 4,800-square-foot research building and electrified quarter mile oval-shaped test track designed to demonstrate in-motion wireless power charging for electric vehicles. The EVR will be located near the existing USU Power Electronics Lab at USU’s Innovation Campus to leverage the combined capabilities of the two facilities.

The EVR will work toward developing electric vehicles with unlimited range. Using wireless inductive power transfer pads embedded in the roadway, electric vehicles can seamlessly charge while in motion, drastically reducing the need for large battery packs and cumbersome charging stations. Utah Business

Solar energy getting more attention of late in Cache Valley

Solar power is growing in popularity in the United States. In response to the U.S. Department of Energy’s
Rooftop Solar Challenge, the Southwest Solar Transformation Initiative was developed, using a grant
secured by Optony Inc., a solar power consulting company. SSTI is an opt-in program for communities in
40 municipalities across four Southwest states.

On Wednesday, the Bear River Associated Governments, or BRAG, hosted a workshop with presenters
from Optony to discuss the opportunities and barriers to installing solar panels in the Cache Valley and
Box Elder areas.

Participants included government representatives and those involved in the solar panel industry.
The workshop included information on the Rooftop Solar Challenge and its four focus areas: local
permitting processes, planning and zoning regulations, education and outreach, and innovative
deployment programs.

Market potential information presented showed that in Logan and North Logan alone, there are at least
4,805 solar viable residences. The barriers to installing solar at these homes, however, can be complex
and prohibitive.

Education is also critical in order to drum up interest in solar power in the first place.

Solar power is currently more expensive than coal power in Cache Valley, said Brian Carver, director of
Community and Economic Development at BRAG, but the price per kilowatt hour is getting lower every
day. Initially, the installation of solar power can run up to $17,000, but incentive programs and various
financing options can make this number more feasible through tax credits and cash rebates. It typically
takes 15 to 20 years for a solar panel to pay itself off and start generating “free” energy, Carve said — an
issue considering that the average homeowner in Cache Valley has lived in their home fewer than seven
years.

The represented cities at the workshop discussed forming a municipal aggregate company.
Tyler Espinoza, a project manager at Optony Inc., explained this as collaborative solar procurement —
cities working together to install many solar panels all at once.

More education is needed at the residential and governmental level before this could be possible, but it’s
an option that would have been unheard of just ten years ago. Herald Journal

Wirelessly-Charged Electric Bus Unveiled in Utah

The next-generation of electric vehicle technology was on display last week, as Utah State University (USU) rolled out a wirelessly-charged electric transit bus.

Dubbed the “Aggie Bus,” the 22-foot vehicle powers-up by sitting over charging pads embedded in the roadway. Through a magnetic field, the bus receives 25 kilowatts of energy — enough power to drive approximately 30 miles before needing a recharge.

For the initial demonstration held on Thursday, Nov. 15, researchers charged the bus in a garage-like laboratory with an above-ground charging pad, and then took university and media passengers on a short ride.

Officials tout the Aggie Bus as the first bus to receive wireless energy of up to 25 kilowatts with more than 90 percent efficiency over an air gap of six inches. That gap includes roadway materials such as asphalt.

From a consumer perspective, the system is similar to rechargeable pads that mobile devices sit on to wirelessly recharge. But in this case, the device could sit on a shelf above the pad and still receive power.

The idea is that eventually, a public transit bus could charge up, go on its route and, every time it stops to pick up passengers, it would sit above an in-ground charging pad that would recharge the vehicle.

If it works as planned, the technology could set the stage for a viable form of non-fossil fuel power. Some work still needs to be done before you’ll see big city transit authorities adopting the technology, however. Researchers must still test various forums of surface materials to determine which are the most conducive to charging, and they need to increase the height of the air gap. But officials believe the question is now a matter of “when” rather than “if.” Government Technology

Green waste site to open February 29

Brigham City's compost and greenwaste facility will be open for business beginning Wednesday, February 29. The facility is located at 1650 West Forest Street and the hours of operation will be Wednesday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. City staff will be available during those hours to help with the sale of recycled products. Box Elder News Journal

Micro-hydro spooling up: Logan city project will power 185 homes

Logan Light & Power hopes to kill multiple birds with one stone when its new hydroelectric generator goes online in the near future.

The facility, installed last week on the culinary water pipeline at the mouth of Logan Canyon, will provide enough electricity to power nearly 200 homes while emitting no carbon into the atmosphere. Currently Logan gets 23.7 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. Some comes from the Colorado River, some from a wind turbine facility in Wyoming, and an increasing amount comes from hydroelectric systems in Logan Canyon.

HJ News.com

Micro-hydro spooling up: Logan city project will power 185 homes

Logan Light & Power hopes to kill multiple birds with one stone when its new hydroelectric generator goes online in the near future. The facility, installed last week on the culinary water pipeline at the mouth of Logan Canyon, will provide enough electricity to power nearly 200 homes while emitting no carbon into the atmosphere.

Two years ago, Logan city built a new drinking water line to replace the decaying older pipeline. With the new pipe, however, came new complications in the form of excess pressure. For the past two years, the city has used a pressure reducing valve to address the excess build-up. It works, but it creates new problems of its own. Enter the new hydroelectric generator, which will not only bleed excess pressure from the pipeline, but will also convert it into usable, sustainable, eco-friendly electricity. Logan Herald Journal

Library sun roof: Hyrum installs Utah's biggest city solar array

Lining the roof of the public works building in Hyrum, a series of solar panels harness the energy of the sun. Electrical power that's generated goes directly onto the city's grid. Meanwhile, a computer terminal in the library records the energy and power produced.

"The project is the largest municipal solar electrical system in the state of Utah to date," Hyrum Mayor Dean Howard proclaimed to an audience gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday at the library. On an annual basis, the panels are projected to produce 62,000 kilowatt-hours, resulting in a yearly savings of about $5,000, Howard said. Logan Herald Journal

‘Civic solar farm’ eyed: Logan residents could buy panels and get tax credit

Want to go solar but don't want to mess with putting up and maintaining panels? Or perhaps your homeowners association forbids them? Logan city might soon offer an alternative: Officials are planning a civic solar power farm modeled after one developed in St. George recently.

Light and Power Director Jeff White said the city is close to settling on a site (selected from currently city-owned property) to install solar panels. The idea is that residents could buy solar power collected on the panels maintained by the city; a purchaser would get his or her own panels at the solar farm site, said White. Purchasers would get the same tax credit as if they installed panels on their home, said White. Herald Journal

USTAR to open new building on USU campus

USTAR will open a new facility — the "BioInnovations Building" — at Utah State University. The 110,000-square-foot building, which will house three USTAR innovation teams, was completed within its three-year schedule and within its $60 million budget. The facility is the only nonmilitary structure in the state with an enhanced Bio Safety Level 3 lab and also is designed as a LEED Gold facility. USTAR (the Utah Science Technology and Research initiative) is a state-funded effort involving USU and the University of Utah to create innovation teams and research that will produce new technologies that can become part of commercial and business ventures. Deseret News