Energy Independence at the Office and at Home - Building Priorities Briefing
Energy independence comes in many forms. We look at a commercial office example and a residential example that demonstrate how solar helps owners to be self-sufficient in ways that match their values. The California Healthcare Foundation covered the roof of their newly renovated offices with solar panels. Going solar is consistent with their mission to improve the health of Californians. Borrego Solar co-founder Chris Anderson built a new home for himself and went off-grid. He wants to show Northeasterners that a home can be energy independent and comfortable at the same time. Renewable energy isn't the only green-building feature of these two projects. (podcast) (photos)
March 12, 2008
Podcast
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Music by Alexander Blu
Program notes
Energy independence comes in many sizes and forms. These two examples -- one commercial office, one residential -- exemplify how solar helps owners to be self-sufficient in ways that match their values.Case study: California Healthcare Foundation, Oakland, CA.
The California Healthcare Foundation moved into their newly renovated offices in Oakland a few months ago, but first they decided to cover the roof of the existing building with solar panels. The renovation included several green-building features, even though CHCF isn't pursuing certification. Financial incentives played a part in making the solar more affordable. Denis Du Bois interviews Kim Galvin, who is responsible for facilities at CHCF, and Mike Hall, president of Borrego Solar.
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The rooftop solar array at the California Healthcare Foundation's office building supplies all of their energy needs. (Photo courtesy CHCF) |
California HealthCare Foundation web site
Borrego Solar web site
System:
- 540 Evergreen 190-watt solar modules
- 12 SMA 7kW inverters mounted on 2 new SMA Sunny towers
- Standard calculated size is 102kW DC; PTC is 91.15 kW DC; max output is 87kW AC
One of Borrego's challenges was mounting the panels on a concrete roof covered by 18 inches of "concrete light," a material used to slant the roof for water run off. Even though they had to drill 18 inches down to the solid concrete to securely mount the modules, they still managed to install the 495 panels on the upper roof in just one day.The remaining 45 modules were installed on a smaller roof that is outside the windows of the conference and board rooms. The owners wanted the panels to be visible.
Update: International energy conferences
Denis is filing this month's Briefing from the Globe 2008 sustainability conference in Vancouver, BC Canada. He gives a quick update on what's happening on the international energy conference scene, including the WIREC conference last week, plus two upcoming conferences about green building.
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British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell opens the Globe 2008 Conference on Business and the Environment, in Vancouver. Approximately 10,000 people attended the conference. |
Conference web links
Globe Conference on Business and the Environment
Washington International Renewable Energy Conference
ConnectivityWeek 2008
Green Intelligent Buildings
Third half: Chris Anderson's off-grid solar home in Hew Hampshire.
Borrego Solar designs sustainable energy systems for its clients. When the company's co-founder Chris Anderson built a new home for himself, he went a lot farther than just installing solar power -- and learned a lot in the process.
Stephen Lacey of Renewable Energy World braved the Hew Hampshire cold to visit Anderson at his newly built off-grid house. Steven is the host of the "Inside Renewable Energy" podcast and a regular contributor to Energy Priorities.
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Chris Anderson's off-grid solar home is the subject of the third half of this month's show. (Photo courtesy Renewable Energy World) |
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Chris Anderson, co-founder and COO of Borrego Solar, gives a tour of his house to Stephen Lacey. (Photo courtesy Renewable Energy World) |
NECN TV "New England Dream House"
Going Off Grid with Chris Anderson and Borrego Solar article with specs on the solar array, solar thermal, water storage, battery banks, and zoned radiant floor heating system
Video interview with Chris Anderson at his home