September 30, 2024: Solar Array with Sarah Kurtz
By Jose Meza-Pantoja
This week our weekly field trip was hosted by the amazing Sarah Kurtz, UC Merced professor and engineer who leads a lot of important work on photovoltaic (PV) energy, more commonly referred to as solar power. In preparation for her visit, students read an article which gave an introduction to PV energy and the incredible promise it holds to transform energy practices in the modern world. PV energy has repeatedly exceeded the highest and most optimistic permissions over the past couple of decades. These triumphs have led to PV energy emerging as a strong candidate to lead efforts in shifting energy use in the future.
In the beginning of class, Professor Kurtz went over the development
of PV energy in the 21st century and who is leading the way in developing this exciting new technology. She informed us of the benefits of PV and how it could be implemented in our daily lives in the future with new technologies being developed to complement it. A few possibilities were discussed in class like solar farms, solar trains, and new battery technology. Due to time constraints, she did not go over the entire presentation she prepared for the class, as we soon had to leave the classroom to visit the solar arrays on campus.
The exclusivity of the tour was emphasized when, during the walk, Sarah Kurtz started a phone call to inform UC Merced Security that we would be visiting the solar arrays so that we wouldn’t be apprehended for trespassing. After walking through the dry golden fields outside of UC Merced, we arrived at a fenced off area where the solar panels were set up, standing strong and tall towards the sky like an army of soldiers. It was a surreal
experience seeing these structures against the cloudless blue sky above us. There were no other distinct landmarks for thousands of feet but the huge solar panels. Professor Kurtz lent her expertise and told us even more about the solar panels and how they fit into the campus and related it to her presentation and the article we read before.
The visit to the solar array was followed by a walk to the North Bowl parking lots, where more solar panels were set up and we learnt more about the function and utility they bring to the campus. Solar energy is something that is becoming more and more common, and it was an honor to learn about this exciting new technology from a scientist who is leading work on PV energy. After my time with Professor Kurtz, we definitely saw solar energy in a brand-new light.
