An autonomous bicycle station on the campus of the Silesian University of Technology
An autonomous bicycle service station was established on the campus of the Silesian University of Technology. The station is located in the green belt between the building of the Faculty of Environmental and Energy Engineering and the 1st Secondary Comprehensive School in Gliwice.
Works related to the construction of an autonomous emergency bicycle service station powered by photovoltaic panels have been completed. The station is equipped with the necessary set of tools useful when servicing the bike. Its main advantage is the ability to inflate the bicycle wheels with stored compressed air. During the bike service, it is also possible to charge small electronic devices such as a mobile phone, power bank, wireless headphones or a flashlight.
The station is the result of the completed PBL project, which received funding in the 9th competition of the "Excellence Initiative - Research University" program implemented at the Silesian University of Technology, in the field of project-oriented education - Project Based Learning. The interdisciplinary project team consisted of students representing various fields of study: Dominik Leszczewski, Paweł Nowak, Piotr Nowak, Franciszek Szendera and Paweł Szychliński. The work was supervised by employees representing two departments: Dr Eng. Mariola Jureczko from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Dr Eng. Michał Jurczyk and MSc. Eng. Bartosz Stanek from The Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering.
– The idea of creating an autonomous bicycle service station was created in response to the needs of residents using bicycle trails in the area. Next to Kłodnica, flowing through the campus of the Silesian University of Technology, there is a bicycle path, and in previous years, in the summer, there was a parking lot for Gliwice city bikes next to the building of the 1st Secondary Comprehensive School. The project team, which also loves bicycle trips, taking into account the great interest in the mentioned bicycle trail, submitted a thematically related PBL project for the 9th competition for financing project-oriented education - PBL under the Initiative of Excellence - Research University program implemented at the Silesian University of Technology. The submitted project received funding - say Dr Eng. Mariola Jureczko and Dr Eng. Michal Jurczyk.
The main idea guiding the team during the project was to meet both the strength conditions of the structure and to provide power to electrical devices such as a battery or LED strips from photovoltaic cell modules. The contractors of the project assumed that the station would be self-sufficient during the bicycle season. - The aesthetics of the station also played an important role, i.e., adjusting it to the already existing architectural structures located on the premises of the Silesian University of Technology - adds Dr Eng. Mariola Jureczko.
The electricity necessary for the functioning of the facility is provided by four photovoltaic panels, thanks to which the station does not have to be connected to the power grid, while at the same time being part of the trend of using renewable energy sources. The PV modules used are Glass-Backsheet modules. PV modules are mounted to steel profiles that go through the concrete foundation and stabilize the structure by embedding them in the ground to a depth of 90 cm. The concrete foundation is designed to increase the weight of the facility, which additionally stabilizes the station and protects the equipment needed to operate the installation from theft or damage.
Detailed information on the methodology for selecting the location of the station, construction of photovoltaic modules and the conducted simulations regarding the energy balance will be presented in a publication developed by the project team, which will be published in the Rynek Energii magazine in August 2023 ( https://rynek-energii.pl/pl/czasopismo ).
The project supervisors and the project team would like to thank Helioenergia sp. z o.o based in Czerwionka - Leszczyny, whose support in many forms allowed the construction of a station equipped in this way.
