One project will feature solar thermal collector panels that will use glycol to heat the water for Cannon Pool and the showers in the Knobloch Tennis Center. The project will include 64 4- by-10-foot top panels weighing 153 pounds each. Glycol will be heated in pipes that run through the panels and transfer heat to the water.

“Glycol is a good conductor,” says Physical Plant Director David Holthouser. “We’ll expose the pool water to the hot pipes containing the glycol, and that will warm the pool.”

The second project is a separate photovoltaic system that will generate electricity to meet a portion of the energy needs for Baker Sports Complex. This project will involve installation of 378 panels weighing 42 pounds each.

The PV panels convert sunlight directly into electricity by absorbing photons and releasing electrons. During prolonged periods of cloud cover, the system is engineered to revert back to conventionally generated electric power.

The projects will be installed by Southern Energy Management of Morrisville. Work is scheduled to be complete by Dec. 31. Panels for both projects together will cover 75 percent of Baker’s flat roof surface and 60 percent of the pool roof surface facing the Baker parking lot.

“It’s a good experiment to have both PV and solar thermal,” says project manager Kris Krider. “This way, we can analyze which system works best. Davidson College is taking solar energy seriously. It’s good for the environment, and in a climate that averages 300 sunny days a year, it ultimately will pay for itself.”