University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Masters Theses Dissertations and Theses March 2016 Integrated Solar Technologies with Outdoor Pedestrian Bridge Superstructure Decking Richard K. Racz University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2 Part of the Civil Engineering Commons, Dynamics and Dynamical Systems Commons, Electrical and Electronics Commons, Environmental Engineering Commons, Mechanics of Materials Commons, Other Electrical and Computer Engineering Commons, Other Materials Science and Engineering Commons, Polymer Science Commons, Power and Energy Commons, Structural Engineering Commons, Structural Materials Commons, and the Transportation Engineering Commons Recommended Citation Racz, Richard K., "Integrated Solar Technologies with Outdoor Pedestrian Bridge Superstructure Decking" (2016). Masters Theses. 332. https://doi.org/10.7275/7969460 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2/332 This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Integrated Solar Technologies with Outdoor Pedestrian Bridge Superstructure Decking A Thesis Presented by Richard Kevin Racz Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OS SCIENCE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING February 2016 Civil and Environmental Engineering Integrated Solar Technologies with Outdoor Pedestrian Bridge Superstructure Decking A Thesis Presented By RICHARD KEVIN RACZ Approved as to style and content by: ______________________________________ Sanjay Arwade, Chair ______________________________________ Sergio Brena, Member ______________________________________ Michael Knodler Jr., Member _______________________________________ Richard N. Palmer, Department Head Civil and Environmental Engineering Department DEDICATION I’d like to thank my great friends and class mates, as well as my family. Without all of your support and confidence in me this project would never have be possible. Thank you to all. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the professionals who provided their assistance in this project. Their efforts made much of the design and concepts possible, and the project could not have been completed without their help. Thank you to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst for providing me the financial means to complete this project and support my efforts along the way. I greatly appreciate the guidance and support that the following individuals provided: Dr. Sanjay Raja Arwade, Ph.D. - The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Civil Engineering Department Dr. Behrouz Shafei, Ph.D., P.E. – Iowa State University, Civil Engineering Department Dr. Michael Knodler Jr. – Ph.D. – The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Civil Engineering Department Dr. Sergio F. Brena, Ph.D. – The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Civil Engineering Department iv ABSTRACT INTEGRATED SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES WITH OUTDOOR PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE SUPERSTRUCTURE DECKING FEBRUARY 2016 RICHARD KEVIN RACZ, B.S., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST M.S.C.E., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Sanjay R. Arwade Solar technology has been a major topic in sustainable design for many years. In the last five years, however, the solar technology industry has seen a rapid growth in installations and technological advances in cell design. Combined with a rapidly declining overall system cost, the idea of introducing solar technology into a wider range of applications is becoming a focus for engineers and scientists around the world. So many variables which alter solar energy production, such as the sun and surrounding environment, determine whether a solar design is beneficial. This thesis presents a bridge deck surface integrated with solar cells tested under all AASHTO LRFD pedestrian bridge loadings. A detailed solar analysis of the University of Massachusetts’s campus is presented to determine if solar integration is even plausible for the Northeastern United States with the energy limitations created by the deck integration, as well as an economic evaluation of the deck design. The purpose of this thesis was to determine if a walking surface could be integrated with solar technology and be a plausible alternative to conventional walking surfaces, while providing a source of sustainable power. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ x LIST OF SYMBOLS .................................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Netherlands Solar Innovation: .......................................................................................... 2 1.2 Site Location: ................................................................................................................... 4 2. ASSESSING THE PARAMETERS OF NORTH-EAST SOLAR POTENTIAL ...................... 7 2.1 Solar Radiation Spectrum: ............................................................................................... 7 2.2 Solar Panel Surface Orientation: ...................................................................................... 9 2.3 Atmospheric Air Mass: .................................................................................................. 10 2.4 Atmosphere Effects on Solar Irradiance: ....................................................................... 13 2.5 Solar Radiation on Earth’s Surface: ............................................................................... 14 2.6 Effects of Module Tilt on Solar Radiation: .................................................................... 15 2.7 National Solar Radiation Data Base: .............................................................................. 19 2.7.1 Global Irradiance: ................................................................................................... 21 2.7.2 Atmospheric Effects on Global Irradiance: ............................................................ 22 2.8 Losses in Solar Irradiance due to Deck Integration: ...................................................... 25 2.8.1 Tempered Glass Thickness: .................................................................................... 25 2.8.2 Soiling: .................................................................................................................... 26 2.8.3 Soiling Case Study: ................................................................................................. 27 2.8.4 Inverter vs. Micro-Inverter Configuration: ............................................................. 29 2.8.5 Inverter vs. Micro-Inverter Case Study: ................................................................. 29 2.9 Estimated Power Generation: ......................................................................................... 32 vi 2.9.1 UMass Campus Average Global Horizontal Irradiance: ........................................ 32 2.9.2 Panel Efficiency and Losses: .................................................................................. 33 2.9.3 Bridge Deck Dimensioning: ................................................................................... 34 2.9.4 Lifetime Output Guarantee: .................................................................................... 34 2.10 Solar Economics:............................................................................................................ 37 2.10.1 Influence of Cost / Watt: ......................................................................................... 37 2.10.2 Cost of Design: ....................................................................................................... 41 2.10.3 Return of Investment: ............................................................................................. 42 2.10.4 Breakeven Point: ..................................................................................................... 43 3. PROPOSED STRUCTURAL GEOMETRY AND AASHTO LRFD PARAMETERS .......... 45 3.1 AASHTO-LRFD Load Specifications: .......................................................................... 49 3.1.1 Pedestrian Loading: ................................................................................................ 49 3.1.2 Snow Loading: ........................................................................................................ 49 3.1.3 Vehicle Loading: ..................................................................................................... 51 3.1.4 Special Vehicle Loading: .......................................................................................