Solar Thermal and PV Arrays on the Saint Polycarp Village in Somerville

May 9 – Solar Design Associates has begun construction on a solar thermal system for the second phase of Saint Polycarp Village in Somerville. Developed by the Somerville Community Corporation (SCC), the village is a mixed-use project that provides green space, street-level retail space, and affordable rental apartments.

Prior to building completion, Solar Design Associates worked with Davis Square Architects and their project team to integrate the structure, piping, and hot water storage required for solar thermal. In 2010, SDA designed and installed a 50kW PV array and a solar thermal system to offset the common area electricity use, domestic hot water use, and space heating loads in the first of three buildings that will comprise Saint Polycarp Village. The third building, which recently broke ground, will also be powered with renewable energy.

In addition to onsite energy generation, Saint Polycarp Village incorporates highly efficient appliances, heating and cooling systems, and building envelope. The project has obtained the LEED-NC Silver certification.

“A Building Not Just Green, but Practically Self Sustaining” in the New York Times

Seattle’s Bullitt Center Powered by Renewable Energy

Use our discount code (SPEAKERVIP) to save $100 off a 2-day pass (Wednesday, March 6th and Thursday, March 7th), or $50 off a 1-day pass (either Wednesday or Thursday).

http://www.nesea.org/buildingenergy

NESEA Building Energy 13: SDA Workshops on Tuesday, March 5th

9:00AM – 12:00PM

PV 101: Grid-tied PV Systems for Architects, Engineers and General Contractors

Workshop Speakers: Steven Strong, Luke McKneally, Pat Retelle, Robert Erb, Solar Design Associates
Location: Waterfront 1

Description: Everything your design and building team needs to know to successfully incorporate photovoltaics into their projects. Steven Strong and Solar Design Associates’ senior staff share 30 years of experience on hundreds of PV projects. Learn the efficiencies and costs of different system options, general sizing guidelines, design and mounting options, designing a solar-friendly building, load and harvest calculations, availability of financial incentives, permitting and installation issues and coordination with other trades.

2:00PM – 5:00PM

Advanced PV Design for Practitioners

Workshop Speakers: Steven Strong, Luke McKneally, Pat Retelle and Robert Erb, Solar Design Associates
Location: Waterfront 1

Description: This workshop compares system and component efficiencies – which hardware and systems configurations work best for different project types – as well as how to match an inverter with an array, solar access, grid interconnection, code compliance, disconnects, fusing, labeling, grounding and ground faults, fire safety issues, common errors to avoid, system commissioning and outlook for the PV marketplace through 2016.

See you there!

The video features construction progress of the PV array, showing the extensive steel structure that supports it on a cantilever from the building. The large area of the array coupled with SunPower PV modules (the most efficient modules commercially available today), allows for the building to produce all of the energy it uses on an annual basis. SDA is excited to be part of a new standard of building that makes “giants leaps” towards creating better buildings for people and the environment.

Learn more about the building: bullittcenter.org

Read about SDA’s PV System Commissioning at the Bullitt Center

Rooftop PV Array Commissioning at the Bullit Center

The SDA team commissioned the Bullitt Center PV array last week in Seattle. Complete electrical and mechanical system commissioning is one of the services that SDA offers as PV system engineers for Zero Net Energy buildings. Performing this comprehensive testing at system start-up is important to provide an initial production benchmark for the zero energy goal. This benchmark is also valuable throughout the life of the system as a way of identifying premature production degradation that could indicate equipment or wiring failure.

Read more about our Zero Net Energy Solutions

Director of Sales Haskell Werlin with Muhamed

Solar Design Associates had a strong showing at the ABX 2012 conference, both giving a seminar on zero net energy building and exhibiting on the conference floor. The seminar was a success, as it led into an interesting discussion about the future of PV applications. We had a great time at the exhibit, too. We were lucky enough to be stationed next to Muhamed Jafri from Dover Rug who lent us a rug to spruce up our exhibition space. See you next year!

Solar Design Associates President Steven Strong and Senior Project Architect Luke McKneally AIA, LEED AP will give a seminar entitled, “Toward Zero and Beyond” at this year’s Architecture Boston Expo at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on Friday, November 16th at 8:30am.

This seminar discusses Net-Zero Energy design for various facility types, using built examples and historical data. Renewable energy solutions will be analyzed for their contribution potential to the on-site energy generation half of the equation. Design opportunities and limitations of various systems such as solar thermal and solar photovoltaics, wind, micro-hydro, and geothermal solutions will be presented.

Read more about the seminar and ABX2012

One of SDA’s most recent engineering projects (with partial procurement services) is nearing completion. The ground mounted 500kW array is being built in Swansea, MA for Tim Cabral, an electrical contractor local to the area. Cabral secured financing through a local bank with an agreement in which part of his repayment includes the bank’s use of the PV electricity generated by the system to power its various branches. This innovative model allows Cabral to take advantage of the SREC income and state and federal tax credits for the PV system while having an off-taker who benefits from renewable electricity at a fixed and reduced rate.

The 69-acre site includes 2,394 PV modules on a seasonally adjustable mounting system. SDA has prescribed the optimal tilt angle for each of the seasons, to which Tim and his sons will adjust the system four times a year. This manually adjustable system provides greater energy harvest throughout the year than a fixed tilt system, and it is more cost effective and reliable than a PV tracker.

Construction of Seattle’s new Bullitt Center, which was featured last month in TIME magazine, is underway. The Center, designed by architects Miller|Hull, is slated to be the nation’s most environmentally progressive commercial building. It will achieve LEED Platinum status, meet the 2030 Challenge and the Living Building Challenge, plus achieve zero net water use and zero net energy use. Solar Design Associates designed the PV system which provides nearly 250kW of capacity that will supply all of the energy needs for the building on an annual basis.

Most of the building structure and façade are in place, and installation the PV array is making rapid progress on the dedicated structure above the roof. Members of the SDA team went to Seattle last week to document the process and provide technical construction assistance. This project is noteworthy because of its advanced and thoughtful application of building systems including water, energy, and envelope. We are excited to see it come to life.

Unhealthy Business Practices Could Undercut the Successes of the Solar Industry

Last week at Solar Power International in Orlando, SEIA president Rhone Resch opened the conference with a discussion on trends that positively and negatively affect the solar industry. One of his strongest cautions was of unhealthy business practices that undercut all of the successes currently enjoyed by the solar industry as it continues to grow in public awareness and grid penetration. Resch pointed to the October 2012 issue of Consumer Reports, which places residential solar installation at the top of a list of the latest scams for consumers to watch out for. He warned the SPI crowd of solar practitioners that it only takes a small portion of bad business practices to create a negative image of the solar industry, which threatens the credibility and maturation of the market.

While focused on residential financing, the comments of the SEIA president apply as well to the commercial and institutional markets.  When seeking solar professionals, we urge investors to develop a working knowledge of how solar electricity works technically and financially before seeking consultation from an installer / EPC contractor. When it’s time to choose a solar contractor, it is also important for owners to be informed about the companies from which they are choosing. For projects located in Massachusetts, the tools provided by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center are a great resource.

As technical consultants for the Solarize Massachusetts program, Solar Design Associates looked at many proposals which represented some of the best solar installers in the industry. Understanding that wherever there is a successful industry, there will be some risk of fraudulent contractors, SDA is available as a long term expert in the field to review and assist in verifying legitimate and reasonable claims in solar proposals or contracts.