A patio umbrella table attracting attention outside The Red Barn is more than a place to rest during busy back-to-school season. It鈥檚 actually a Powersol Smart Hub Charger station that gets its energy solely from the solar panels installed on its umbrella and can charge phones and other devices.
The Powersol table and umbrella will permanently reside in the courtyard at Bettie Johnson Hall, where residents last spring reduced electricity use by 27.5 percent in the UofL Ecolympics competition. During the competition, UofL residence hall occupants were encouraged to conserve electricity by taking steps such as turning off lights/televisions/computers and not using clothes dryers.
The table and umbrella were purchased by Campus Housing and the Sustainability Council.
The station鈥檚 solar panels generate 54 watts of electricity and the table can simultaneously charge three devices in the same time it takes to plug them into a wall socket. It uses recyclable lithium ion batteries and needs 5.5 hours of sun to fully charge.
鈥淭he Sustainability Council is thrilled to bring this new solar charging station to campus as a 鈥楪reen Renovation鈥 prize for Bettie Johnson Hall,鈥 said Justin Mog, UofL鈥檚 assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives. 鈥淪o, while you鈥檙e charging your mobile device with the power of the sun, be inspired to explore ways to reduce your own energy footprint, and consider supporting the to make more projects like this happen in the future.鈥
UofL has a goal of reducing its聽net greenhouse gas emissions and achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Other campus solar projects include a solar pool heating system installed on the roof of the Wright Natatorium and a solar hot water system in use at the Student Recreation Center. UofL鈥檚 Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research recently moved into the solar-powered Phoenix House, a building constructed by UofL and Ball State University for the 2013 Department of Energy Solar Decathlon competition, where it won the affordability challenge.
