SOLAR TODAY - May 2011

solar installations

federal;projects;since;2007,;when;it;installed;a PV;system;on;the;roof;of;the;U.S.;Department of;Energy;headquarters.;Since;then,;the;firm;has done scores of projects at government agencies. According;to;General;Manager;Michael;Sloan, panels from Suniva, based in Norcross, Ga., were the top choice for the project for several reasons.;Suniva;claims;up;to;15;percent;efficien- cy at the module level for its crystalline technology. In addition to complying with ARRA, which;requires;that;all;projects;comply;with;the Buy-American Act, the panels provided the best performance;for;the;price,;said;Sloan.;That;value helped Standard deliver the project well under budget, for $3.2 million.

Though pleased with the savings, GSA
officials are quick to note that the system’s
carbon-free;production;is;its;larger;goal.;“This
all;goes;back;to;the;GSA’s;goals;for;a;zero;envi-
ronmental footprint,” said Lockwood. “We
have;requirements;to;reduce;our;energy;con-
sumption each year, and those are more strict
each year. So we were more focused on that
than;a;payback.”
Advancing low-energy technology was
another;priority,;added;Duffy.;“The;GSA;is;pretty
much the largest landlord in the country, and we
kind of take the lead in these types of projects. So
we;can;afford;maybe;a;little;less;payback;than;a
commercial building, and that allows us to push
forward;the;technology.”

Ensuring Security

For Standard Solar, the system’s location on
an active federal courthouse posed some secu-
rity;challenges.;“Building;security;was;a;great
concern because the courthouse is host to many
high-profile;criminal;cases;and;daily;operations
could;not;be;interrupted,”;said;Standard;Solar’s
Sloan.;“Additionally,;the;customer;wanted;to
ensure that all data and power connections were
secure;and;not;able;to;be;tampered;with.”
Reviews and installation took two to three
months,;he;estimated.;“You;had;daily;check-in,
check-outs with inspection at the loading docks,
almost;like;airport;security.”
As for the system engineering, the large,
unobstructed;roof;and;excellent;solar;resource
made that straightforward. “Installation and
permitting;were;easy;;it;is;a;testament;to;the
prevalence;of;PV;systems,”;Sloan;said.;Progress
Energy;approved;the;interconnection.

The;system;was;commissioned;in;November. As of March, it was on track to meet its annual projection;of;772,000;kilowatt-hours,;or;18;per- cent;of;the;building’s;usage,;according;to;GSA Electrical;Engineer;Tyrone;Pelt.

Demonstrating the Technology

Large;signage;at;the;building;describes;the U.S. jobs and technologies that were supported by this ARRA-funded project. Visitors to the building;can;also;check;out;the;PV;system’s;per-formance via a monitoring website displayed in the lobby. (See http://datareadings.com/ client/moduleSystem/Kiosk/site/bin/kiosk. cfm?k=oErvVLF9,;or;bit.ly/TerrySanford.)

“You;can’t;really;see;the;system;from;the
street,”;Lockwood;said,;“but;you;can;come;into
the building, look at the monitor and learn about
the;system.;That’s;just;another;way;we;can;pro-
mote;the;industry;and;the;technology.”
GSA hopes to apply this experience with
installing PV systems at other buildings in
Region;4.;ST