It’s Now Official. On-Site Roof-Mounted Solar for St. Margaret’s Church!
St. Margaret’s Church Rector, the Rev. Peter Mayer, put a teaser in the mid-week email blast to the parish saying he had two very important announcements for Sunday. To “goose” it some for the parish on the church’s Facebook page, staff “guessed” what the announcements might be. Several amusing posts were offered.
I had already received a heads up from the solar PV contractor that the “deal is on,” and have otherwise been consistently involved with and pushing the prospect in all manner for a couple of years as the church’s LEED consultant.
Wishing to remain anonymous, a “solar angel” of the parish has donated the entire cost of a 98-panel (300 watts/module) solar PV system for the newly proclaimed LEED® Silver Certified Formation Addition. (I’ve written about the certification and awards recently, so you can find these by simply typing St. Margaret’s Church in the “search here” box to the right and hit “go”.)
The solar PV system will be installed on the main, mostly flat roof (58 panels) where much of the mechanical system machinery is mounted. The rest will be attached to the south-facing roofs. 
The west roof slope was rejected for the sake of the “calm” courtyard (nicely landscaped since this photo) formed by the Parish House to the left and Administration building to the right. And, for reduced efficiency in solar collection.
What a win for the parish! Based on some calculations I did with the mechanical engineer’s energy modeling in mind, could be that as much as 17% of the Formation Addition’s power consumption will be served on-site by the renewable energy system. (The maintenance cost for a solar PV system in the out-years is minimal.)
So, how wonderful is that? Up to 17% of the power needs of the new building provided at virtually no cost for the foreseeable future! A renewable 2-year contract for off-site energy from wind farms in PA and/or the Plains states provides the rest of the power needed.
According to Rick Peters, an owner of Solar Energy Services, Inc., the St. Margaret’s solar PV system contractor, 10-15% of electricity generated from renewable energy generated off-site is lost in transmission from source to grid to building. So, as much as 17% of the power generated by the Formation Addition’s on-site renewable energy system will have just about nada transmission loss. Won’t be buried in the bill as there will be no bill for that. Future electric bills will be + $4,800/year less for years to come–a gift that keeps on giving.
In sum, the Formation Building is sustainable enough in its many aspects to have been rated by the Green Business Certification Institute (affiliate of the U. S. Green Building Council) as LEED® Silver Certified. With the appearance of the solar angel and the roof-mounted solar PV system, I think the Gold level might have been obtainable. Just barely. But it’s too late to go there as the certification effort is closed.
What matters is that the carbon footprint of the Formation Addition is substantially less than it would have been if the Vestry and the parish had not opted for the rigorous 3rd-party LEED building rating system as an expression of its commitment to environmental stewardship.
To be added soon will be a maximally efficient system of harvesting energy. Here’s what Peters offers about the carbon offset equivalency:
- 25.7 metric tons of CO2/year, or
- 21 acres of forest planted
And, for users of the building, it’s a very healthy place to be. Copious amounts of natural light everywhere, for one. Great ventilation for another. For the health of the Bay, a substantially more robust stormwater management system is now being completed.
Related news is the State of Maryland’s latest legislative commitment to increase the targets for state-wide renewable energy–the so-called Renewable Program Standard (RPS)–to 25% by 2020. The replaced goal was 20% renewable energy by 2022. Of the new 25% goal, that for solar could be increased from 2 to 2.5%. Gov. Hogan has ’til the end of May to sign or veto the revised RPS legislation so give his office a shout.
The Maryland Climate Coalition just put out a press release that includes claims that the increased renewal energy targets will create “over 1,000 new Maryland solar jobs per year during construction and approximately 4,600 direct jobs in the region from wind.”
Less polluted skies over Maryland welcomed, especially by those with overactive immune systems.
As prevailing winds have a lot to do with polluted air in Maryland, Virginia, in particular, and Pennsylvania too will need to step up their similar commitments to renewable energy. More and increasingly fuel-efficient vehicles of all kinds will also be a huge help.