Installing PV panels on a National
Park Service maintenance building at the White
House.
Photo: Evergreen Solar, Inc.
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Solar Technology
Successes in Government and Correctional Facilities
Government buildings that wish to
demonstrate responsible environmental stewardship
are excellent sites for clean photovoltaic technology.
Government buildings
are often prime locations for solar thermal
and photovoltaic arrays because: |
| • |
The economics can be attractive for buildings
with large hot water demand |
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A government building that generates clean
energy is setting a positive example for citizens
and advancing an industry of the future |
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| Here are a few examples
of successful solar installations on government buildings: |
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| Massachusetts
Transportation Agency – Boston, Massachusetts
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| • |
Solar hot water system uses 4,000 square
feet of collectors to heat a closed loop of
antifreeze solution to indirectly heat the
building’s water |
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It will never freeze despite extended periods
of below-freezing ambient temperatures |
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The initial cost of the system was $250,000 |
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With annual energy savings of more than
$26,000, the payback period will be less than
10 years |
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The system provides 83 percent of the building’s
hot water needs at peak production |
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|
Suwannee River Administrative
Building |
| Suwannee River
Center, Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources
– Fargo, Georgia |
| • |
4.1kW photovoltaic system installed by One
World Sustainable Energy Corporation |
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PV was part of the strategy for achieving
Gold certification under the Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design™ (LEED)
program of the US Green Building Council |
| • |
Daylighting and design features enable 47
percent lower energy demand than a conventional
building of similar size |
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| The White House –
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington D.C. |
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In January of 2003, Evergreen Solar Inc installed 9
kilowatts of PV on a roof of the White House complex |
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Installation was financed and supported by the National
Park Service |
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| Correctional Facilities
use of Solar |
Correctional facilities often install
solar hot water systems because they make good economic
sense.
There are two principal reasons that solar thermal
is a sound option for prisons and detention centers: |
| 1 |
With so many showers and washing machines
operating throughout the day, correctional facilities
tend to have coslty hot water demands. Cutting these substantial
water-heating bills with a solar thermal system can save
the facility—and taxpayers—lots of money in
the long run. |
| 2 |
Prisons and detention centers tend to be large structures
with substantial roof space and little shading from nearby
buildings or trees. This enables a solar thermal system
to operate at peak performance whenever the sun is shining. |
| Below are a few examples of
correctional facilities that have had success with solar. |
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| Adams County Detention
Facility - Adams County, Colorado |
| • |
Solar thermal system provides 19,200 gallons of hot
water per day, meeting 46 percent of hot water needs including
showering, dishwashing and laundry |
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The system requires a 5,000 gallon storage tank |
|
Prison Paraobolic, credit to Department
of Energy
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| Phoenix Correctional
Institute – Phoenix, Arizona |
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System designed by Industrial Solar Technology
|
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Facility owners consulted with National
Renewable Energy Laboratory to optimize the
system’s design |
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System generates 40,000 gallons of hot water
per day, saving about $72,000 in annual energy
costs |
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| Martin Correctional Institute
– Martin County, Florida |
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System uses two 75-collector arrays on the north and
south sides of the facility |
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Two 2,000 gallon tanks store hot water for conventional
heating when necessary |
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System was recently renovated with guidance and supervision
from the Florida Solar Energy Center |
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| California Correctional
Institute – Tehachapi, California |
| • |
28,000 square feet of parabolic trough solar collectors |
| • |
Supplies 6 billion BTUs of energy per year |
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