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Apartment residents benefit from solar power
Solar panels are popping up on apartment buildings from Manhattan to Missoula, Mont., proving that renewable energy is a practical option for multi-unit housing. Some complexes, like the Solaire in Battery Park City, N.Y., are designed and built for upscale buyers who can afford the cutting edge of green technology. However, many affordable housing developers have discovered that solar energy makes economic as well as environmental sense. PV complexes popular in California Not surprisingly, solar-friendly California boasts several PV-powered complexes ranging from modest to ambitious. In spring 2003, Oakland University installed a 10-kW demonstration project on a new student apartment complex. About one-third of the roof on the complex is covered with thin-film solar shingles. The integrated system offsets the campus's electricity use, and any excess is fed back onto the grid. At the other end of the spectrum are two large-scale projects that also use integrated technology. Watsonville, Calif., claims the largest solar apartment complex in the United States, according to its developer Clarum Homes. The 132-unit Vista Montaña powers its community center, laundry rooms, outdoor landscape lighting and car park lighting with integrated roof tiles. Clarum has installed solar arrays on its houses as standard equipment since 1999, but Villa Montaña is its first solar apartment complex. The cost savings from lower energy bills will fund social services at the affordable housing complex, such as computer classes, after-school care and other residential activities. Colorado Court in Santa Monica, Calif., is the first affordable housing complex in the country to be 100-percent energy neutral. The 44-unit building earned gold LEED certification for its combination of innovative design and materials, energy efficiency measures and state-of-the-art systems. The city uses the building as a model to encourage support and adoption of its Green Building Design and Construction guidelines. Municipal success stories Riverside Public Utilities played a central role in one of California 's most impressive solar affordable housing stories. The 81-kW PV system on the Autumn Ridge Apartment complex reduces overall electricity costs for residents of the 27 units by about two thirds. The Oak Tree Apartment complex is larger—51 units—with a smaller, 46-kW system. The common areas use the solar power, and the Riverside Housing Development Corporation, which owns the building, gives residents a credit on their electric bills. The RHDC acquires rundown properties and refurbishes them to rent to low-income families. During the renovation of the Autumn Ridge complex, RPU Director David Wright suggested using Public Benefits funds to install solar panels on the complex. "The electricity generated assists RPU in reaching their renewable portfolio requirements and counts toward Riverside's internal goal of one MW of renewable power within city limits," explained Michael Bacich, RPU public benefits/business relations manager. Systems tailored to sites Most of the existing buildings at the Autumn Ridge facility had to be demolished, and the new complex consisted of a group of one-story fourplexes. Each fourplex has four meters—one for each unit—and a house meter. Arrays of approximately 2 kW on the roof of each unit and adjacent garage roofs are hooked into each meter. "RPU went with conventional, roof-mounted arrays as space was at a premium," said Bacich. "Conventional panels offered higher wattage per square foot than the building-integrated technology available at the time." At the three-story Oak Tree complex, the 46-kW array was designed based on available square footage and the electric load of the common areas. Projects meet all goals National, state and local government agencies; energy industry organizations and local community groups have lavished praise on both projects. Autumn Ridge met all four criteria for Public Benefits funding when one would have been sufficient. To be eligible, a project must assist low-income populations, use new renewable energy, promote demand-side management or have a research or demonstration component. The effect on the surrounding neighborhoods was as important to the city as the recognition. Autumn Ridge provides decent, safe and affordable housing for low-income families. Following Oak Tree's revitalization, other properties in the area also invested in significant renovations and improvements. Solar power is helping to change the perception and reputation of neighborhoods, beautifying cities and helping families make ends meet. And all that while reducing tons of air pollutants over the 25- to 30-year life span of the systems. That's a lot to ask of a resource, but solar apartments are proving that renewable energy is up to the task. |
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