Award Date

1-1-1997

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Architecture (MArch)

Department

Architecture

First Committee Member

Richard A. Beckman

Number of Pages

114

Abstract

This research is an investigation of integrating photovoltaic solar collecting cells into a low-rise office building design providing a sustainable power source meeting or exceeding peak energy demands. The data focuses on roof-mounted installations examining the costs of collecting and transferring solar energy into the existing power grid using U.S. government statistics and projected costs. In addition, the possibility of exporting surplus power for revenue as an alternative energy supplier was explored. Studies of similar research were documented to demonstrate feasibility of alternative PV installations. The purpose of the study examines whether a self-reliant building can be economically feasible using solar energy for electric power. The data suggests photovoltaic energy does not pay for itself during its life cycle at the current electricity rate, but economic feasibility can be expected in the next decade assuming average inflation rate projections.

Keywords

Building; Cells; Design; Feasibility; Integrating; Low; Office; Photovoltaic; Rise

Controlled Subject

Architecture; Force and energy; Civil engineering

File Format

pdf

File Size

3143.68 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Permissions

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this dissertation or thesis and wish to have the full text removed from Digital Scholarship@UNLV, please submit a request to digitalscholarship@unlv.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Download


COinS