Ball State University Straw Bale Eco Center
1kW Solar PV, Solar Thermal & Wind Systems
Muncie, Indiana, June 2008

The Straw Bale Eco Center at Ball State University is a student designed and constructed demonstration project for sustainable building practices and is the first constructed component of the Land Design Institute's LandLab demonstration site in Muncie, Indiana. 1 kW Solar PV, solar thermal and wind systems were installed with the support of a grant from the Indiana Department of Energy and Defense.

The solar electric system and the Bergey wind system are connected to an OutBack FLEXware system with an inverter/charger and a FLEXmax charge controller, with a HUB system communications manager to communicate stacking, load share and power save off/on signals. The solar thermal collectors on the roof of the Eco Center heat water for the center.

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