Unity College’s TerraHaus is the first college dorm build to passive house standards. Solar thermal collectors will provide most of its hot water

Just in time for classes, Unity College opened up the doors to TerraHaus, a boldly innovative, low-energy college dorm that aims to demonstrate the height of high performance building on college campuses.

The building, designed and built by by G*O Logic’s architect Matthew O’Malia and carpenter Alan Gibson, is the nation’s first dorm to meet passive house certification standards. Like their prior net zero G*O Logic home, G*O Logic chose ReVision Energy to design and install the solar energy systems. The TerraHaus sports 120 evacuated tube solar hot water collectors, which should meet nearly all of the building’s hot water needs (showers, washing, etc.).

Here’s what Doug Fox, Director, Center for Sustainability and Global Change, Unity College, said about the choice of renewable energy:

In an era of global change and uncertainty about future oil costs, thinking about resilience in our home and work systems is prudent. The cost of heating water with solar is independent of the price of fossil fuels, hence adding resiliency to our residential systems while also mitigating climate change. Leaving aside the alternate investment calculations that a financial advisor might want me to make, it gives me comfort to think that in my home I have, in a sense, pre-paid for 250 gallons or so of heating oil per year for the next 20 years or more at $1.40/gallon.

More of Doug’s comments and photos of the story of TerraHaus’ construction at: TerraHaus blog.

The Morning Sentinel also featured the building:

The standards, the highest international standards for energy efficiency, require that the dorm use 90 percent less energy for space heating than standard buildings.

On Thursday, Gibson and O’Malia, as well as landscape architect Ann Kearsley of Portland, gave the Unity staff tours of the eco-friendly, stylish tan-shingled cottage.

TerraHaus, which cost about $475,000 and took about three months to build, is nearly airtight, has a heat recovery ventilation system, is exceptionally well insulated and has superior quality windows.

Those high-quality features, said Gibson, will allow TerraHaus to be heated this winter with an electric baseboard heater at a cost of about $30 per person.

Gibson and O’Malia also designed the GO Home on Crocker Road in Belfast, the first passive house-certified home in Maine and the 12th passive house in the country.

According to Doug Fox, director of the Center for Sustainability and Global Change at Unity, TerraHaus is the first of three planned residence halls on the Quaker Hill campus that will comprise the SonnenHaus village of energy-conscious dorms.

Read more: http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/gree-terrahausready-for-students_2011-08-25.html

It was a true honor for ReVision Energy to work on this project in collaboration with Unity College. A number of our staff members are Unity graduates, and the College has shown truly exceptional dedication to their environmental mission and serves as a model for other campuses nationwide.

Farming and gardening is, of course, the original use of solar power, but the Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association (MOFGA) went the next step and installed the 21st century evolution: an 11.7kw solar photovoltaic array. This grid-tied system has no moving parts, no batteries, just fifty-two Solon Blue 225 watt panels tied to two inverters that will convert sunshine into electricity for the next several decades.

This 21st century system marks the latest step in the restoration of a 200 year old barn – a true symbol of old tradition meets new technology! This unique and highly visible project was a great opportunity for some video coverage, and in this 7-minute feature we hear from Vernon LeCount from MOFGA and John Luft from ReVision Energy’s Liberty office about the installation and MOFGA’s long-term ambitions about renewable energy.

MOFGA provides year-round services to organic farmers and gardeners, but they may be best known for their big upcoming event: the Common Ground Fair to be held this September 23-25. The fair is the premiere celebration of rural traditions and sustainable living and attracts over 60,000 people each year.

We’ll be there the whole weekend with staff from all three branches. Be sure to keep an eye out for the new PV system as you approach the south parking lot, and talk to us about any questions you’ve ever had about solar, energy efficiency, and green building.

Thanks again, MOFGA, for making a big commitment to sustainable energy, and to Darryl Czuchra Production Services, who went above and beyond in the creation of this video.

More Photos in Our Commercial Solar Photo Gallery:

The Morning Sentinel reported on the new TerraHaus eco-friendly student housing at Unity College.

Beth Staples writes:

Belfast-based G*O Logic architect Matthew O’Malia and carpenter Alan Gibson designed and built the nation’s first dorm to meet passive house certification standards.

The standards, the highest international standards for energy efficiency, require that the dorm use 90 percent less energy for space heating than standard buildings.

… A solar hot water system installed by ReVision Energy of Liberty and Portland will provide hot water for showers and washing dishes.

Jesse Pyles, Unity’s sustainablilty coordinator, said 10 of the college’s 500-plus students were chosen by lottery to live in the cottage.

The lottery winners agreed to participate in educational programs, including giving tours of the one-of-kind dorm.

Read more at The Morning Sentinel.

Photos from Our Solar Project Gallery

SMCC’s SEA Director John Brautigam standing before a suite of solar energy systems recently installed by ReVision Energy.

ReVision recently wrapped installation of a suite of solar systems at Southern Maine Community College’s Sustainable Energy Alternatives (SEA) Center.

The SEA Center is a major part of SMCC’s efforts to become a regional center for education and training on renewable energy and sustainable building practices. The building is equipped with cutting-edge professional equipment and state-of-the-art educational tools designed to help students understand theories of building science including air infiltration, insulation issues, and thermal properties of building materials to help equip them for a career in energy efficiency and/or renewable energy.

To showcase the variety of solar energy installations likely to be encountered, SMCC had ReVision install two solar hot water systems, one with evacuated tubes and the other with flat plate collectors, as well as a modest photovoltaic (solar electric) array. All of the “guts” of the system – pipe run, tank, wiring, etc. – is on display and labeled so students can understand how it works and observe it in practice. The systems also feature robust web-based data monitoring options that will be viewable by both students and the public.

ReVision has had the pleasure of working with an SMCC Electric Engineering student, Melanie Janarelli, as an intern this summer, who helped install the system. Director John Brautigam is featured in one of our upcoming Solar Road Tour episodes, so stay tuned!

More Photos:

Thanks to an Efficiency Maine Grant, the new learning center at the Bryan Pond 4-H camp will provide nearly all of its power from the sun!

Thanks to a grant from Efficiency Maine, the new year-round lodge at UMaine’s 4-H Learning Center will generate virtually all of its electricity by harnessing sunshine.

For over 50 years the University of Maine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond (formerly the Maine Conservation School) has strengthened children’s relationship to the natural world with a combination of inspired outdoor fun, practical woods-wise skills, and “hands-on” conservation education. So when a grant became available to fund solar projects for the purposes of demonstrating PV technology to the public, the location seemed like a perfect fit.

The new 10.3kw grid-tied system will generate about 14,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, offsetting about 18,200 pounds of CO2 emissions from regional fossil fuel power plants. Equally important, it will be used as a learning tool for students who will use the facility year-round. Soon the solar array will feature web-based performance monitoring, interpretive signs, and a lobby computer display showing how much electricity the panels are generating at any given time (Maine Community Foundation has helped with the latter).

The project was showcased in the Lewiston Sun Journal:

The center will have a dining hall and a commercial-style kitchen and will hold 36 people… The lodge, which is still under construction, will incorporate as many “green” features as possible, including the solar panels and recycled-newspaper insulation throughout the building, said program Director Ryder Scott.

“Whenever possible, we’ve used local materials for construction of the entire building, within reason,” he said.

Eighty percent of the project cost is being funded through a $50,000 renewable resource grant from the Maine Public Utilities Commission. The remainder of the money was acquired through fundraising. The PUC grant, which is administered through Efficiency Maine, supports projects that use renewable energy technologies, specifically photovoltaic. The grants are funded by ratepayers who opt to support the program.

It’s a real honor to work on projects like these that help bring solar to the attention of the next generation. We look forward to being part of decades of learning!

The solar hot water system on University of New England’s Campus Center will save roughly 3,960 therms of natural gas annually, a savings of roughly $5,500

The University of New England is the latest college campus to show leadership in sustainability with the installation of 21 flat plate solar hot water collectors on their Campus Center.

Made possible by a $50,000 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Grant, the system will heat water to between 80-140 degrees before it is fed into an existing gas boiler.

The total annual energy output of the system is estimated at 237,615,000 BTUs per year, which at a typical boiler efficiency of 60% will save roughly 3,960 therms of natural gas annually.

Below is a schematic of the system, consisting of the panels and multiple pre-heated solar storage tanks:

The Portland Press Herald reported this on the project:

The project, administered by Efficiency Maine, is expected to provide up to 50 percent of the Campus Center’s hot water energy supply. The real-time digital monitor also being installed will enable the university to determine cost and energy savings.

“Everyone is excited about it, ” said Alethea Cariddi, the university’s sustainability coordinator, adding that the project is part of a “multi-pronged strategy the university is taking to achieve our climate neutral goal.”

Full article: http://www.pressherald.com/news/maine-UNE-biddeford-Solar-university-campus.html

UNE’s Sustainability Coordinator, Alethea Cariddi, leads the university’s efforts to pursue climate neutrality through behavioral change and energy efficiencies. She says, “The solar hot water project on our Biddeford Campus Center is UNE’s first experience with renewable energy sources … Reducing our energy demand, increasing our efficiency of energy use and utilizing renewable energy sources is the multi-pronged strategy the university will be taking to achieve our climate neutral goal.”

In November 2008, UNE President Danielle Ripich signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, pledging along with other higher education leaders across America to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on campus and raise awareness of the issue of climate change.

From our Schools and Nonprofits Solar Photo Gallery:

See more installations in our Solar Projects Map

Bowdoin College’s 48 flat plate solar hot water collectors will provide more than half of the hot water used annually at their Thorne Dining Hall

With the installation of 48 flat plate solar hot water collectors, ReVision recently completed a solar hot water system that will provide more than half of the hot water used at Bowdoin College’s Thorne Dining Hall.

For Bowdoin College, who seeks to become carbon neutral by 2020, the savings of over 90,000 lbs of C02 emissions per year is an attractive benefit on top of the clean energy heating.

The Portland Press Herald recently ran a story lauding Bowdoin’s efforts:

The [carbon neutrality] program is based on a conviction that the planet is threatened by man-made climate change and that college campuses can take a leadership role in helping to stabilize the atmosphere.

… The first step in becoming carbon neutral is defining a starting point, a carbon footprint. Schools tally their heating, gasoline and power bills. They conduct inventories and use verifiable assumptions and calculations to estimate their greenhouse gas emissions for a given date.

Bowdoin determined that the school released 24,000 tons of carbon dioxide in 2008. The biggest sources came from electricity use, 44 percent, followed by heating and vehicles, 42 percent. The rest came largely from employee commuting, transmission line losses and travel.

… Beyond changing technology, Bowdoin also wants to use its educational mandate to change behavior. To meet the 2020 goal, it says, everyone on campus must share an awareness of carbon neutrality. That means developing energy-saving habits, such as shutting down computers and turning off lights.

The 48 flat plate solar hot water collectors will produce over 584,000,000 BTUs of thermal energy each year, or a savings of roughly 8,800 therms of natural gas annually. In the summertime it will mean significantly reduced runtime of a boiler dedicated specifically to Thorne Dining Hall, while in the winter the hot water supply is assisted with a central campus boiler that also provides space heat.

Possibly as exciting as the energy savings itself is the way that Bowdoin is creating fun, interactive tools for analyzing energy use and develop a culture of students, faculty, and staff who are energy conscious.

Check out this Flash-based energy production/analysis tool:

The transition to a clean energy economy is as much about changing our own attitudes towards energy as it is getting serious about fossil fuel alternatives. We’re thrilled to see Bowdoin College leading the way!

More Photos from our Schools/Nonprofits Photo Gallery:

Two kilowatts of solar electric panels are lighting up Fryeburg Academy thanks to a system recently installed by ReVision.

The Conway Daily Sun reported how the project came to be:

The genesis for this project began with the students in the class of 2009, led by Logan Cline, who launched the first year’s efforts to raise funds while also raising community awareness of the need to conserve energy on campus.

This was followed in 2010 by senior class president Kenedi Hall, who also approached TransCanada Energy for a significant grant to augment their efforts. Together, over $10,000 was raised to fund the initial project, and fund-raising is continuing to add more panels at a future date …

The system is designed both as an energy producer and ongoing teaching tool. Located in the academy’s dedicated science facility, students will be able to monitor and learn about the system as part of the day-to-day curriculum.

The 2KW system is expected to produce over 2,829 kWh of clean electricity each year, offsetting more than 3,500 lbs of C02 emissions!

From our Schools and Nonprofits Solar Photo Gallery:

See more installations in our Solar Projects Map