PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (June 20, 2024) – What if you flipped on the lights or ran an air conditioning unit without worrying about running up an expensive electric bill? Electrical Engineering Professor Dr. John Fuller ’69 of the Prairie View A&M University Roy G. Perry College of Engineering is taking steps to make that dream a reality at PVAMU—and beyond—with the opening of the University’s first sun-powered Solar Lab research facility.
“Come see the lights. As of this summer, Summer 2024, we are fully operational,” said Dr. Fuller. “The lights are on all night long, powered by solar energy that is collected in the daytime from the sun and used at night by stored solar energy. There are a lot of things our students can do.”
Dr. Fuller eagerly anticipates launching research activities for students at the facility this fall. The Solar Lab promises to unlock a realm of enlightening knowledge for students, paving the way for their career triumphs post-graduation.
“Our engineering students can do groundbreaking research and educational experimental work on sensor projects, master’s theses and doctoral dissertations,” he said. “The Solar Lab is also interdisciplinary. It involves not only engineering but also chemistry, cybersecurity and other concentrations.”
The facility, situated on about an acre of land adjacent to FM 1098 on the northwest side of PVAMU’s campus, includes communications systems, semiconductor material, 3D tracking systems that track the sun, solid-state systems, power security systems, and more—all of which benefit students in booming job markets.
Dr. Fuller (left) is pictured alongside former doctoral student Dr. Anthony Hill ’92, ’16, ’20, ’23. Dr. Hill’s expertise was instrumental in implementing a live monitoring system within the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building and enabling real-time tracking of the Solar Lab’s performance through Wi-Fi connectivity.
“There are a lot of different areas for our students to investigate,” said Dr. Fuller. “That way, the students can decide what they want to do when they graduate. The top-of-the-line would be PhD dissertations, which take a year or two, so they can really get in-depth.
“You have to have educated students to carry on. We’re looking at national needs.”
Worldwide Change
Solar energy production has increased significantly over the last decade—more than ten times what it was in the early 2010s. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, nearly 4% of all U.S. power generation comes from solar-generated power. That number is expected to grow to 20% by 2050.
In Texas alone, the EIA states that “solar capacity additions are changing the shape of daily electricity supply.” Solar-generated power increased by 35% from 2022 to 2023.
“I’m a power person,” said Dr. Fuller. “We want to give our students knowledge of a true power system. We have some young minds, and they might have some proposals on how to improve these systems. Most of what we’re doing is addressing the needs of the country.”
Through hands-on experimentation and close analysis, PVAMU students working in the Solar Lab would enter the job market prepared for the renewable resource wave that is hitting the country…and the world.
The overarching objective is to equip students with practical expertise, ensuring their competitiveness when entering their chosen fields and their ability to tackle modern-day challenges effectively. Notably, one particular field is witnessing a surge in demand.
“Right now, that’s energy,” said Dr. Fuller. “For one, the students can look at the semiconductor material, how it operates, and determine how they can make them better.”
He said that Houston is swiftly advancing towards a future with an increased reliance on solar-generated power. This trend extends across various sectors, from residential to private industry, signaling a significant uptick in the adoption of solar energy.
“They’re going to need to know how to do all that,” said Dr. Fuller. “The engineer designs the system and keeps it going.”
Evolution in Transportation
The PVAMU Solar Lab employs a cutting-edge solar tracker to keep the solar panels perpendicular to the sun, collecting the maximum energy benefit.
“We have a battery system, which is another area for our students. Here again, the technology on batteries is important. The batteries are designed to store power that’s collected from the sun. We’ve already ordered some electric vehicles, more of the laboratory type, so that students can experiment with batteries,” said Dr. Fuller.
The 45-kilowatt maximum capacity battery system in place at the Solar Lab can power the entire lab—lights, air conditioning, and equipment—for two to three days, said Dr. Fuller.
“Even at night, we had the batteries powering the lights, and the solar panels were collecting energy from the lights,” he said with a chuckle. “We’ll eventually tie into the electrical [grid].”
The Solar Lab, unique within The Texas A&M University System, has reached the final stages of Title III funding, but Dr. Fuller and others have an eye on the future.
Currently undergoing renovation, an existing structure on the property will soon serve as a designated bus house for electric buses, complete with charging stations. The buses will provide transportation to students living off-campus in nearby communities. Dr. Fuller anticipates bus routes to begin in 2025.
Looking beyond 2025, the horizon for renewable energy projects extends across campus, offering the promise of energy-efficient power to a wider demographic.
“People are already speculating about having a 10-acre solar system to help run the University,” said Dr. Fuller. “We’ll be able to save millions of dollars every year.”
By Kerry Laird
-PVAMU-
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