Micah Schuman

Dr. Mcolloh

March 30, 2017

Technical Description: Water Conservation and Solar Energy

New Mexicos climate and location has led to droughts in the region, as water becomes
scarce, the importance of water conservation becomes more evident. Water conservation is a
crucial tool in the battle of using water efficiently. My purpose is to influence the NMSU
administrators to build a Water Conservation
Center in the location of the once Monagle
Hall. This water conservation facility would
increase its sustainability and decrease its
environmental foot print if solar energy
powered it. The construction of a small solar
farm to generate some of the facilities power
could possibly make the building the first
building on campus to receive a Leadership
and Energy in Environmental Design (LEED)
rating of platinum. The LEED rating system
helps to grade buildings on how
environmentally friendly or green they are. The platinum rating is the highest and most
prestigious rating a build can receive. NMSU is constructing buildings with higher ratings
because of how huge an issue that sustainable energy and water usage is on NMSU Campus. To
give some perspective to the issue NMSU uses on average about 3 to 5 million gallons of water
daily. (Water Master Plan, 2014, p. 34). Las Cruces is struggling to meet this demand, Las
Cruces in 2016 had an average waterfall of 1.39 inches per month (Rainfall Summary, n.d.).
NMSU could build a facility that meet that
requirements to obtain a platinum rating by using
solar energy and water conservation tactics.

The SolarPod Standalone Modular System

could be purchased and installed for the Water
Conservation Center. Each system comes with 4
solar panels, a battery pack, a wave inverter
assembly, a 50-foot wire cable, and a mount for
8,800 dollars. The system delivers up to 1000 watts
of power, and if we are considering about 8 hours of
peak daylight thats at least 8 Kwh produced per
Standalone system. This energy is in Direct Current
(DC), which must then be switched to Alternating
Current (AC), which leads to a loss of about 20% of the Solar Panels output (Solar Panel
Output, March 22, 2017). A medium business uses around 30,000 Kilowatts per year on the
lower end, which I believe the facility could achieve by using florescent light bulbs and other
energy saving methods (Average Energy uses for Businesses, n.d.). This sums up to about 85
Kilowatts per day, so 6 Standalone systems would be able to provide half the facilities output,
costing approximately $52,800.

SolarPod Standalone Modular System

Delivers up to 1000 Watts of power

4 tilting solar panels can easily be
adjusted to maximize sun exposure
Weather-resistant aluminum and
galvanized steel frame stands up to Mother
Nature
No power needed for the system to
operate; it creates its own power from the
sun
2 AGM 12V deep cycle batteries
store the power until you need it
4 large, 160in.L x 48in.W x 1
3/4in.D crystalline 250 Watt solar panels
harness solar power
Built-in charge controller prevents
overcharging
2200 Watt pure sine wave inverter
assembly converts energy to clean, safe,
usable power for 120V devices
Easy to expand with additional
batteries, solar panels, turbines and more

In Conclusion, NMSU must strive to use all its water efficiently. The construction of an
all new Water Conservation Center could allow NMSU to preserve our most important resource.
In addition, to the Water Conservation Center, having a small solar farm would allow the facility
to use renewable energy. Giving another building on NMSU campus a great LEED rating.
Renewable energy is the future, with little steps we can become more sustainable and efficient.

References
Average energy usage for businesses Make It Cheaper. (n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2017, from
https://www.makeitcheaper.com/business-energy/average-energy-usage-for-businesses.aspx

Calculating the Kilowatt Hours Your Solar Panels Produce (Solar Panel Output). (2017, March 22).
Retrieved April 03, 2017, from https://understandsolar.com/calculating-kilowatt-hours-
solar-panels-produce/ http://www.research.nmsu.edu/Water

Drought for Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from

http://drought.unl.edu/DroughtforKids/HowCanWeProtectOurselves/WaterConservation.asp
x

Home. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200635988_200635988?cm_mmc=Bing-
pla&utm_source=Bing_PLA&utm_medium=Alternative %2B Renewable Energy %3E
Solar %2B Wind Systems&utm_campaign=SolarPod&utm_content=46071

New Mexico State University Main Campus. (2014, June). Retrieved April 3, 2017, from
http://bfweb3.nmsu.edu/FacilitiesServices/2014%20-
%20Water%20System%20Master%20Plan%20Update-FINAL.pdf

Rainfall Summary. (n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2017, from http://www.lascruces-

weather.com/wxrainsummary.php

Willis, D. (2017, January 08). NMSU construction projects near completion. Retrieved April 02,
2017, from http://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/education/nmsu/2017/01/07/nmsu-
construction-projects-near-completion/96271266/