(Sort of) Off-the-Grid Living in Brooklyn

[maddezmom]

Last edited Mon May 28, 2012, 07:56 AM - Edit history (1)

TEST BUILDING The Delta in Carroll Gardens, which has been built to run entirely on solar energy, is a showroom for a “net-zero” rental planned for Park Slope. added: Above right, Ronald F. Faia of Voltaic Solaire, the developer.

AS the standards for environmentally friendly construction rise, a Brooklyn developer has a new goal: renovate an apartment building so it generates as much energy as it uses.

When the developer, Voltaic Solaire, finishes a $1 million rehabilitation of a 19th-century brownstone at 367 Fifth Avenue in Park Slope next year, the facade will be covered with a solar skin and a solar awning will sit on the roof. The panels will generate 18,000 watts of energy a year, enough to power all six units in the 7,000-square-foot building. Voltaic Solaire is so confident in its ability to create a “net-zero” building that utilities will be bundled into the rent.

As a demonstration, Voltaic has nearly completed a five-story showroom in Carroll Gardens — a triangular building called the Delta, on the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Ninth Street. Even without a southern exposure, the solar system generates enough energy to power the 2,700-square-foot property.

“If we can obtain sustainability at this location, it can be obtained anywhere,” Ronald F. Faia, the chief financial officer of Voltaic Solaire, said of the Delta’s poor light and odd configuration.

more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/realestate/brooklyn-apartments-to-generate-their-own-power.html?hpw

[PoliticAverse]

1. "On cloudy days, the buildings will draw energy from the grid."

Not really 'built to run entirely on solar energy'.

"The panels will generate 18,000 watts of energy a year"

What do they mean by that (watts are a unit of power not energy) ?

[cbayer]

3. Solar panels are measured by the amount of DC wattage they generate.

[Starboard Tack]

4. Yeah, the 18,000 watts/year made no sense to me either.

I think the panels put out 18,000 watts optimum. If they did their math right, the sunny days should balance out the cloudy days.

[cbayer]

2. Great project, but not technically off the grid.

Looks like they will pay into the grid when conditions are good and take from it when they are not. Jury is still out on whether they will break even in that regard.

Also, they are, of course, getting water, sewerage services, etc.

Not to dis it, though. It's a great step in the right direction.