 |
Case Study |
San Francisco Zen Center
Introduction
San Francisco Zen Center (established 1962) is one of the
largest Buddhist
“sanghas” outside of Asia, offering meditation, monastic retreats,
classes,
lectures, and workshops. Its members are committed to community
outreach,
working for peace, and environmental protection. As a result
of their interest in
the natural environment, the Zen Center contacted Sun Light
and Power to design
and install a photovoltaic system on the roof of the Center
in an effort to reduce
their ecological footprint.
Goals
Sun Light and Power (SLP) aimed to provide an efficient
photovoltaic (PV) system that would not
disrupt the building’s original architecture, as designed
by Julia Morgan in 1922. Because the
Center also functions as a residence, there is greater energy
consumption in the evening and early
morning hours. Therefore, with a time-of-use rate schedule,
the Center would be able to eliminate
almost all of its electricity costs by conserving energy
during the day when rates are highest.
Project
This project presented the unique challenge of being
a historical landmark. Sun Light and Power
worked closely with the San Francisco Zoning Commission and
Historical Landmark Commission, as
well as with the client, to ensure that the PV system was
integrated into the building in an
appropriate manner. SLP designed a system that called for
the installation of:
- Mounting brackets that support the PV modules close
to the roof, so that the profile of the
array is not visible from the ground and does not contrast
drastically with the historical
architectural style of the building.
- 120 Sharp 175-Watt modules, projected to produce 21
kW of peak power.
- Three “Sunny Boy” 6000 Inverters
to convert the DC power generated by the system to
useable AC power.
Results
In August 2005, San Francisco Zen Center began generating
its own electrical energy. As of March 2007, the
system has produced over 400,000 kWh of electricity and
offset the release of over 499,000 pounds
of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Sun Light and Power Co.
1035 Folger Avenue, Berkeley, CA
www.sunlightandpower.com
(800) 233-4786
|
