Sustainable Facility - November 2008 - (Page 29)

Starting with fuel availability, the scorecard for Perkins showed an abundance of biomass in the surrounding area — more than 141 tons of wood waste per square mile. Wind also appeared favorable, with an average velocity of 5.7 meters per second, a desirable speed to economically generate electricity. Heating degree days far outweighed cooling, with an average air temperature of 48 degrees Fahrenheit. This indicated a higher demand for natural gas for a greater portion of the year, biasing the analysis toward biomass. In addition, Honeywell identiﬁed available state incentives that would help ease the burden in ﬁnancing the project. Once all these factors were combined and weighed against conventional energy rates, the scorecard ranked biomass thermal with the quickest payback (around six years), followed by wind (around 11 years), and solar thermal and geothermal (just fewer than 20 years each). However, ﬁnances weren’t the only driver for the district. BLOWING IN THE WIND The analysis showed biomass-generated heat would provide the greatest savings. However, a biomass solution would take longer to implement and require the district to negotiate a long-term contract for fuel. Furthermore, school officials wanted their first renewable project to be as simple and visible as possible. As a result, the district turned its focus to wind, which would allow it to take advantage of a micro-climate caused by the winds blowing in from Lake Erie and eliminate any fuelsourcing issues. Administrators decided to install three 20-kW wind turbines at the high school and middle school complex, with an anticipated output of 144,000 kWh per year. Based on these ﬁgures, the turbines — slated for installation in fall 2008 — would cover more than 11 percent of the electrical load at the complex and reduce annual CO2 emissions by more than 130 tons. The district combined the turbines with the other conservation measures, creating a $2.1-million program. The improvements were funded through a performance contract with Honeywell that guarantees energy savings of approximately $136,000 per year during the next 15 years. So, the work won’t impact capital budgets or require additional taxpayer dollars. The project is also expected to generate operational and maintenance savings of around $56,000 per year without a loss of maintenance personnel. And, thanks to a state grant of $150,000, the overall cost of the turbines was cut in half. SF Ron Blagus is energy market director for Honeywell Building Solutions. W W W . S U S TA I N A B L E F A C I L I T Y. C O M 29 http://WWW.SUSTAINABLEFACILITY.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Facility - November 2008

Sustainable Facility - November 2008 Contents Editorial Industry Watch Web TOC New and Notable The Case for Daytime Cleaning Commitment to Energy Effi ciency and Sustainability Finding the Green Solar for the Commercial and Industrial Sector: What’s Hot Now? Connecting Sustainability and Green Cleaning Recycling Rechargeable Batteries Sharing Best Practices The Consultant Conundrum Sharing the Facilities Management Burden The Building Owner’s and Operator’s Sustainability Solution: Energy Audits Greenbuild: Green Product Buzz Guide Product Focus Marketplace and Classifieds Advertiser’s Index Initiatives

Sustainable Facility - November 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.