bill savings during construction. The
system has significantly exceeded the
first-year estimate of 148,343 kilowatt-hours annually, covering a quarter to a
third of the building’s overall electric
usage. In the year or two before the
600 storage units fully lease, the system is providing 75 to 100 percent of
electricity needs.
High-efficiency measures keep
Hangar 2’s energy demand to a
minimum: high-efficiency mechanical systems and motors, motion-controlled and daylight-sensing
lights, super-insulation in most of
the facility and refurbished operable
windows for ventilation and daylighting. Hartman estimates the 100,000-square-foot
building uses half the energy of a new building of
the same size and use.
CHuCk NELSON
“Here’s an old building that was built in
1939, and it was literally abandoned for almost
15 years,” he said. “And we’ve turned this drafty
old hangar into a solar-powered, energy-effi-cient landmark.” ST
more amazing, Nelson’s installation
crew in these challenging conditions
included trainees sponsored by the
Denver Urban Renewal Authority
(DURA). Public education around
the PV system was a priority for the
developers, and DURA was a key
partner. DURA awarded Martifer
and the Hangar 2 partners a $20,000
grant through its Enhanced Training
Opportunity program. In addition
to bringing trainees into the installation, the partners made presentations at local community colleges.
The next stage of public education
will go live early this year — solar-powered recharging stations for
electric vehicles.
The match between public education and
economics is ideal at the master-planned com-
munity of Lowry. Said Hartman, “[Hangar 2]
really stands as Lowry’s solar symbol.”
Indeed, the partners viewed solar as a market-
ing edge at a development that includes healthy,
handcrafted dining options. Though his partners
“WHEN PuTTINg THE RACkINg
ANd PANELS ON THE ROOF …
THEy WERE uSINg ROCk-CLIMBINg
gEAR ANd LITERALLy RAPPELLINg
dOWN THE ROOF.”
were on board with the match, Hartman had to
make the economic case. As it turned out, with
federal and local incentives and even accounting
for BIPV’s cost premium over standard PV, the
half-million-dollar system achieved payback in a
little more than a year.
PV was the first step in the Hangar 2 redevelopment, in order to take advantage of the utility
