PROPOSAL
The main analysis of the mechanical system at Sunnylands will be dedicated to switching the dx system with an evaporative cooling system. The four additions to the Sunnylands would each receiver their own evaporative cooling tower. The expected result of this change is a substantial reduction in annual energy costs. The evaluation of this energy savings will be carried out through the development of an energy model. The energy model will be created using Trane Trace 700 and will be compared to the energy model generated for the purposes of Technical Report 2.
Once an energy model has been created, an evaluation of annual water consumption and electricity consumption will be evaluated. The amount of water consumed per year by the mechanical system will be evaluated and a plan will be developed to offset this consumption by on-site water collection and modifications to the current landscape. A cost estimate will also be generated for this plan and the initial cost will be compared to the ongoing operating savings of the evaporative cooling system and a payback analysis will be generated to determine if the payback period is within the lifecycle of the system.
MECHANICAL DEPTH
For my electrical breadth, I’ll be determining the number of solar panels needed to maintain net-zero status on site. This breadth topic was developed from the impact of switching from a direct expansion loop to an evaporative cooling system as discussed in the depth. This new system should perform more efficiently in the dry, California climate; therefore, requiring less energy to operate. Since the Sunnylands campus is designed to be net-zero and already implements a solar array, the new design should call for fewer solar panels in order to harvest the amount of energy needed to operate the site.
For this breadth, I will use data obtained about the difference in energy consumed on an annual basis from the depth of this thesis along with the current solar harvesting design. This information, when looked at together, will enable me to determine a new solar array for the campus at Sunnylands. In addition to the number of panels required, I’ll be determining their location, angle and wiring configuration. The deliverables to document this work are listed below:
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Comparative yearly energy consumption data
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Calculations determining the amount of energy harvested per solar panel per year
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Revised electrical plan documenting change in solar panel arrangement
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One line diagram showing connection to grid, metering, and distribution to buildings
ELECTRICAL BREADTH
WATER CONSUMPTION BREADTH
For my water consumption breadth, I’ll how much excess water the Sunnylands site will be consuming by switching systems and develop a water collection/conservation plan for the site. This breadth topic was developed from the impact of switching from a direct expansion loop to an evaporative cooling system as discussed in the depth. While the system proposed in the depth is expected to be more efficient and less expensive, the owner of the site did not want to implement the strategy due to its water consumption. In order to confidently suggest the switch discussed in the depth for this thesis, I believe it’s important to justify to the owner why it is a worthwhile endeavor.
In order to get the owner on board with the system switch, two main strategies will be implemented. First, demonstrate the degree to which this switch impacts the surrounding county. Second, this breadth will propose water conservation methods to negate the extra water consumed in this process. Since the Sunnylands site already implements and engineered wetlands facility to treat their greywater, I’ll be developing means/methods to collect water and deliver the water to this portion of the site. In order to do so, I’ll be selecting collection tanks, pumps and sizing the plumbing required to transport the water to the wetlands facility. For this breadth, the following deliverables will document the work for this breadth:
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Comparative yearly water consumption data
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Community impact study in pamphlet form, directed at owner
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Collection plan for the Sunnylands campus