by jbs021110 G3 — February 17, 2010—As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s investment in clean energy technologies, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) recently installed a new white roof and solar panels on the Robert J. Dole U.S. Courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas.
The solar roof, one of the first of its kind in the Kansas City area, offered many of the roofers employed on the project the chance to learn new skills in advanced-technology solar panel installation, and will serve as a demonstration tool for building occupants and the community. A model of the type of panels used is on display in the courthouse lobby, as well as a monitor displaying the array’s power generation.
The roof consists of a highly-reflective “cool roof” membrane covered by more than 200 solar panels. The reflective membrane deflects the sun’s rays to keep the building cool in the summer and reduce the urban heat island effect, while the solar panels generate on-site renewable electricity.
The new roof, which replaces the building’s original single-ply roof installed in 1994, has an expected life span of 20-30 years. GSA invested $1.6 million in the roof project, and plans to invest an additional $3.1 million to improve the building’s infrastructure and operating systems. Previous renovations include a new lighting system, lighting motion sensors, air handler variable frequency drives (VFDs), and waste-reducing paper towel dispensers.
An Energy Star labeled building profile of the courthouse is available on the Energy Star Web site, and a video of the new project is available on the GSA site.
