by Brianna Crandall — October 8, 2010—The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory is installing solar panels on the roof of its new Research Support Facility (RSF), which is in its final phases of construction.
While the new building adds 222,000 square feet of office space to the NREL campus, the building’s energy use will only increase NREL’s overall consumption by six percent due to ultra energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy.
To help the new facility achieve its goal to produce as much energy on site as it uses, a 1.6 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) system is being installed on the roof, comprising more than 1,800 panels soaking in 240 watts each. Additional PV will be installed on a nearby garage and parking lot.
The PV panels join other sustainable technologies to make the RSF a model for super energy-efficient office buildings and a candidate for the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Certification.
The RSF’s sustainable features include: the siting of the building on the land, daylighting in office spaces, natural ventilation, energy-efficient work stations, the use of recycled materials, and a next-generation data center.
By the time that the RSF expansion is complete along with the garage and parking lot, NREL will be producing 32 percent of all of its energy for the entire South Table Mountain Campus (not just the RSF) from PV, says the lab.
Under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), Sun Edison will finance the initial cost of the system, and will construct, own and service the system, but NREL will have the opportunity to purchase the system at the end of the 20-year agreement. Xcel Energy will purchase renewable energy credits from the installation under its Solar Rewards Program.
