by Shane Henson — November 18, 2011—High-performance solar panels from SolarWorld, a major U.S. solar manufacturer, will provide electricity for the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden’s Center for Sustainable Landscapes. The 24,350-square-foot Center, scheduled for completion in Spring 2012, is the world’s first project built to simultaneously meet or exceed the three most prestigious standards of sustainable construction: the International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge; the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest level of certification, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum; and four-star certification under the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) landscape rating system. The facility is expected to serve as a model of sustainability for architects, scientists, planners and anyone interested in living greener.
SolarWorld-authorized installer Energy Independent Solutions has completed installation of 125 kilowatts worth of 250-watt Sunmodule solar panels—three-quarters on the roof, a quarter on the ground—to power the new, three-story educational, research and administrative center on the 118-year-old Phipps campus. Combined with energy efficiencies, solar hot water, natural light capture, and geothermal heating and cooling, the solar electric power will help free the center from reliance on off-site energy.
“This new feat of green building will stand as a model to prove we possess the know-how to construct buildings that do not drain the planet’s energy resources,” said Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas. “Solar power provides a perpetual, clean source of power on the site, exactly where energy demand will rise. Solar technologies, energy efficiencies and engineering innovations work together to show how we can better use the resources already abundantly available at this site and in much of the rest of the world.”
SolarWorld looks forward to assisting more organizations and businesses in becoming greener through the installation of the company’s high-performance solar panels.
