ȺpÎÞÂë

Solar-Powered Vehicle is Latest Example of ȺpÎÞÂë’s Environmental Friendliness

Dwight DeVries, Ground Superintendent
at ȺpÎÞÂë, takes a
break from using a solar-powered
vehicle.

The summer’s sun is not going to waste at ȺpÎÞÂë in Romeoville. The University is the first organization in the country to test a solar assisted John Deere E-Gator utility vehicle—developed and produced by Solar Harvest Technologies in Long Beach, Calif. At ȺpÎÞÂë, the pollution free vehicle has been used during a normal 8-hour work day relying solely on the sun’s power.

During July and August, the vehicle was put to work on the ȺpÎÞÂë main campus, which totals 376 acres. Dwight DeVries, Ground Superintendent at ȺpÎÞÂë commented, “I never thought it would perform as it has. We are working the solar gator hard, putting it through a real world test of every day grounds maintenance jobs. It has met the requirements of routine tasks, and exceeds our expectations. We are saving money on fuel costs, getting our job done, and doing it in an environmentally-friendly way.”

More than simply hauling people and equipment, the quiet vehicle has also powered tools needed at job sites that are normally without power. Two solar-powered 110 AC outlets enabled ȺpÎÞÂë employees to plug in hedge trimmers, leaf blowers, air compressors and more.

“We’re being good stewards,” explained DeVries. ȺpÎÞÂë’s other turf management vehicles are powered by combustion engines that depend on burning fossil fuels, which release air pollutants. Significantly less air pollutants are released in this solar vehicle as it converts the sun’s power through a panel on the top of the cart. The converted electricity charges batteries that provide on-demand service to the vehicle as it operates.

Phillip Quetschke, a partner in Solar Harvest Technologies, pointed out that several organizations are eagerly awaiting the vehicle’s entry into the marketplace. He explained, “In a working campus context, the solar gator’s performance is providing a strong business case for renewable energy, non-polluting machines. Using the sun as the primary power source has demonstrated a dramatic reduction in operational costs. According to its usage at ȺpÎÞÂë, the offset of weekly fuel expenses represents about a 98 percent savings over an internal combustion powered conventional gator.”

The vehicle requires only a supplemental charge from the utility power grid once per week to maintain full working capacity. He estimated the cost of the electricity for that charge is typically about 50 cents, while the same work load would consume about $25 in fuel for an internal combustion engine. A standard E-Gator would normally require a nightly utility recharge for the duty cycle of the work performed. More information is available at www.solarharvesttechnologies.com.

The solar-powered vehicle is the latest in several environmentally-friendly initiatives underway at ȺpÎÞÂë in Romeoville. A 2,100-square-foot greenhouse on campus grows all the plants for the seven acres of landscaping display beds. Thousands of environmentally-friendly brick pavers make up a portion of the almost two million square feet of hard surface. Pope John Paul II Hall, built in 2005, includes a bioswale in its parking lot; the landscaping was designed to remove silt and pollution from surface runoff water.

ȺpÎÞÂë also actively participates in a recycling program. For example, it saved landfills from close to 500 printer and ink cartridges, 83 tons of mixed recycles, 300 gallons of waste oil, 24 tons of metals, 9.5 tons of electrical components during a 10-month period.