Health & Wellbeing Inspection
The first (and hopefully the last) major challenge the solar panel would face was the monthly "healthy & wellbeing inspection." I was worried about the inspection because a solar panel wasn't exactly a conventional device to have in a dorm room and unconventional setups tend not to be popular with inspectors who are trying to following everything by the book.
When the inspection rolled around, the inspectors first checked out the balcony. They didn't even notice the solar panel and then proceded into my room. Without being in the room for more than ten seconds, the inspector pointed at the battery.
"That's a rechargable battery, you can't have that in here," I was told. I explained that it wasn't connected to AC power or the UVM grid, that it was a low voltage battery connected to the solar panel.
"Solar Panel?" the inspector asked.
"Yes, I have a solar panel on the balcony. Didn't you see it? I use it to generate renewable energy to power my suite."
After making a case for the setup, the inspector told me that he wasn't really sure what to do, since he had never encountered a solar panel in a room before. "I'm going to write this up as a fail, but you should talk to the Resident Director of the building. Run it by him and if its alright, we'll come back in 48 hours and pass you."
I immediately e-mailed the RD for the building, and then went online and started to do some research on the UVM site. I found a copy of all the terms and conditions of living at UVM and searched through them - there was no mention of solar panels (of course not), but more importantly, no policy that prohibited batteries. I ran several other searches on the UVM network and couldn't find a single mention of any policy that prohbited batteries of any type. I sent a second e-mail to the RD, citing my research, and also making the case that my setup was no different than that of a commercial, off the shelf UPS (uninteruptable power supply) that many students had. It had the same compnents: a sealed lead-acid battery, an invertor, and cabling. Besides, a UPS handled 120v, high amperage electricity from an electrical grid - my battery was 12v and was relatively small in capacity. While an electrical outlet will allow 2000W or more through an electrical outlet before tripping a breaker, my battery at most could produce 420W, assuming it was fully charged (in reality, it could never produce 420W at once, since sealed lead acid batteries discharge much slower than traditional lead-acids). If students were allowed to have UPSes, my solar system should be allowed.
The friend of mine who had helped me set up the system told me that I'd definately get it approved, that UVM, which marketed itself as a green school, wouldn't evict a solar panel. "Can you see the RD sitting down and saying to you, 'Now Ross, I've given this issue a great deal of thought and talked to a number of people and unfortunately we feel that you solar panel poses a threat the health and wellbeing of the residents of Living & Learning and the greater UVM community, so we're going to have to ask you to remove it.'?" he asked me. He had a point.
I talked with the RD the next day and he expressed two concerns: one how it was anchored, as I couldn't make structual modifications to the building, and secondly he has a few questions about the battery. To the former I replied that it was anchored with some bricks and rocks, that the drilling had not worked out as expected and that one of the challenges of the project was the fact I had to find ways to install it without making structural modifications. I explained that the battery was a sealed lead acid, perfectly safe for indoor use and the same battery used in UPS systems, which many students had. I was asked if it was a car battery and replied it was not, that a car battery is a light cycle battery that really should only be discharged 80%, making them unsuitable for alternative energy use. He was relieved that it wasn't a car battery and said it should be fine. I was asked about the inspectors coming back and he told me to tell them he said it was alright.
The inspectors came back two days later when I was not there and approved the installation.
Last modified October 30 2005 11:53 PM
