Savannah:

Solar City

of the

South

Draft document prepared for the Sustainable Future Town Hall, Feb. 7, 2007 by

Jack C. Star  jack@solarsavannah.com phone: 912-233-4288

Copyright 2007, Jack C. Star

Will Savannah become the premier Solar City of the South? Or will it move so slowly that research and development, light manufacturing, and installation of solar systems will pass it by?

Right now, a solar future, and the jobs that go with it, is in doubt. Over the past few years the local boom in

• regional housing developments,
• condo communities,
• shopping malls,
• hotels,
• warehouses and distribution centers,
• industrial and office parks
• college and university expansion
• military and government buildings

have not included a single panel of solar electric generation. If this trend continues, new construction, with a useful life of over 50 years, will continue to drain energy, rather than being energy neutral much less energy producers. Instead of being a leader in sustainable growth, the region will pass along a massive, costly, energy debt to future generations.

Solar energy is more than just technology. It is a mindset. It encompasses energy conservation as well as the development of other regional renewable energy sources working in concert.

What is a Solar City?

A solar city is a municipality that embraces the concept that a significant portion of electrical energy demand will be generated locally by capturing the free energy of the sun over the next 20 years.

This "embrace" has to be more than just an occasional hug. Several of the key players must be willing to act proactively; the community needs to eventually support it, and a strong grassroots presence will be required to keep momentum from flagging.

While this goal cannot be reached economically using todays technology alone, it can be achieved by incorporating the next generation of solar technology that is moving from the "proof of concept" pilot plant stage to sustainable, affordable, commercial development.

A reminder. The sun does not send a utility bill each month. No increases in the cost of fuel. No negative consequences for the environment. The energy produced is clean, non-polluting. Routine maintenance is far less than that for fossil fuel plants

The fuel does not have to be transported no oil spills or dangerous explosions and fires. No radioactive wastes. No greenhouse gases. No health hazards. All the systems can be manufactured in the U.S.A. Reduced dependence on imported gas and oil reduces the trade deficit. And it is impossible to outsource the installation of these systems which translates to jobs, jobs, jobs.

There appears to be a fundamental difference between the European concept of what steps come first in planning a sustainable building, neighborhood, or community. Green building advocates stress energy efficient building practices, with solar as an important, but secondary, consideration.

When the Europeans talk about Renewable Energy and the construction of low energy buildings, they refer to "solar architecture". For them, free solar energy is the fuel of the not-to-distant future (they are decommissioning nuclear plants, not building new ones), and the structures that are being built today must be planned to take full advantage of forthcoming solar technologies. They also encourage the construction of "Plus Houses", those that generate more energy than they consume on an annual basis.

But a solar mindset requires building the necessary infrastructure:

        To provide financial support from both private and government sources;

        To develop specialists in related government and corporate departments;

        To provide training for systems design and professional installation and maintenance;

        To modify building and zoning codes;

        To educate the general public and incorporate solar/renewable energy instruction in the schools;

        To attract solar and renewable energy professionals, businesses and entrepreneurs

If Savannah wants to become the Solar City of the South, however, its going to have to hustle. Cities in Florida and North Carolina already have a head start. Compared to other states, Georgia isnt even out of the dressing room, while many others are already on the field, playing the game to win new business, new industry, and many more jobs.

The State of Georgia lags far behind many other states that use a combination of grants, rebates and tax relief to develop a solar energy infrastructure. Manufacturers and vendors will not spend their marketing dollars, and will not build facilities, in states that do not have incentives for renewable energy production.

For solar, and all renewable energy sources, the future is now.

2007 was the start of a significant campaign to reduce energy demand in both new construction and renovations.

2008 will be the tipping point year for solar energy.

2009 will be the tipping point year for cellulosic production of ethanol (made from agricultural and forest waste, special grasses and trees, rather than food grade corn)

2010 will be the tipping point year for the production of biodiesel derived from algae and for incorporation of micro-wind turbines on residences and large commercial buildings.

2010/2011/2012 will be the tipping point years for the production of hydrogen by methods other than the energy intensive splitting of water molecules; and the development of the next generation of fuel cells.

(By tipping point I mean that period of time when commercial development has proved to be economically feasible and begins to attract major capital investment.)

Within five to six years the entire energy picture will undergo substantial change, yet the major players and stakeholders seem to be blissfully unaware. There is pathetically little leadership to build the kind of infrastructure necessary to take advantage of the new wave in energy production.

The major players include:

• State Government
• Regional City Governments
• County Commissions
• Metropolitan Planning Commission
• Public and Private Schools
• Local Colleges and Universities
• Home Builders
• Buyers of New  Homes
• Real Estate Agents
• Residential Real Estate Developers
• Commercial & Industrial Real Estate Developers
• Building Trades Unions
• Chambers of Commerce
• Savannah Economic Development Authority
• Utility Companies
• Architects and Facilities Engineers
• Banks and Other Financial Institutions
• Federal Government Buildings and Military Installations
• Houses of Worship and Related Buildings

While there are a handful of notable exceptions, there is no significant leadership from any of the major players. The only really bright spot is the emergence of  "green building" practices by some developers and architects, but they represent only a tiny fraction of current and projected construction.

Solar installations can be incorporated in individual structure and also on "solar farms" -- acreage specifically set aside to provide electric power for a community or subdivision. Current technologies employ either roof-mounted solar thermal or solar photovoltaic panels to heat water or provide electricity for individual structures.  Economies of scale in manufacturing, plus the development of new technologies, will start bringing prices down dramatically within a few years.

Individual Structures

The cost of solar panels that turn sunlight into electricity have dropped from $100 per watt to less than $6 per watt and are projected to drop further to less than $3 per watt within three years. However, as can be seen in Canada, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Japan and Australia, as well as California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico, todays higher costs can easily be justified by:

• reducing pollution from fossil fuels,
• lowering peak electric loads,
• anticipating increases in the price of coal , natural gas, and uranium,
• investing in future growth

Too few homeowners and new homebuyers are taking advantage of the current federal tax credit (30% with a $2,000 cap) available for solar installations.

Solar panels that heat water for residential and commercial use, as well as for swimming pools, are currently justified on all new construction. Payback varies from 3 to 8 years for units that have a useful life of over 20 years. Residential energy costs would be cut by 10 to 15 percent.

With Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), photovoltaic material becomes an integral part of the building: the walls, roofing materials, and glass. Sunlight falling on the photovoltaic components creates electricity. The skin of the building produces electricity to be used by the building.

Community-based Solar Power

Presently, there are four major technologies that will produce electric power at the same level as many power plants -- over 300 megawatts (MW) -- and at lower cost per kilowatt than roof mounted photovoltaics. These solar concentrators, approximately six to an acre generating from 150 kW to 180 kW per acre (enough for 36-40 residence units), provide even less expensive electricity.

• Pole-mounted photovoltaic modules that track the sun.
• Dish concentrators. Large dishes with mirrored surfaces that concentrate the suns rays on a Stirling engine and directly generate electricity.
• Trough concentrators. Parabolic reflectors that concentrate the suns rays on a tube filled with a special fluid that can be heated to over 375 degrees C. The heated liquid powers a steam engine that generates electricity.
• Fresnel lens concentrators. Giant arrays of Fresnel lenses which focus light on special photovoltaic cells resulting in very high efficiencies.

Presently, solar farms built around these technologies, have been, or are being, installed; and more orders are anticipated. Manufacturers state that as they ramp up production prices will fall to as little as $2 per watt, making them competitive with fossil fuels. At the present time, concentrator technology requires substantial acreage to be cost competitive. However, once economies of scale are reached, 30 to 40 acre solar mini-farms will be feasible.

Implications for residential and commercial development

At the present time local planners, developers, and builders do not appear to be taking into consideration the explosive growth of solar capability that will be commercially available in just a few years.

As a result there is no planning for setting some acreage aside to produce electricity within the development. It is estimated that setting aside 3% to 4% of the total acreage of a development would provide nearly half of the electric requirements of the residential and commercial structures, with a payback period of less than 14 years and a useful life approaching 25 years.

From a solar perspective, the ideal community would draw power from a local solar farm, and each residential or commercial unit would have an individual solar hot water system and about 2 kW of roof or pole mounted photovoltaic modules. This mix of solar sources combined with energy efficient construction, the use of Energy Star appliances, and low wattage lighting could yield Zero Energy buildings.

In addition to the obvious benefits of reduced dependence on fossil fuels, the elimination of greenhouse gasses, and the reduction in air pollution, incorporating solar facilities in local developments will also create jobs and help build a number of new local businesses, and make Savannah and Chatham County an even more desirable place to live. A positive approach to solar will also stimulate more tourism as part of the growing interest in ecotourism.

To examine the solar potential for existing structures, for example, lets take a drive down Abercorn from Derenne Avenue to the Savannah Mall.

All of the parking lots and car dealerships can incorporate solar canopies.

• Many of the commercial buildings and shopping malls, churches and synagogues, medical buildings, and government and academic buildings, have unobstructed south-facing roofs that can be retrofitted with solar-electric panels.
• Restaurants, motels, hotels, hospitals and dormitories would also benefit from solar hot water systems.

All of the other commercial arteries in and around Savannah could also become energy generators.

The industrial complexes near the airport have acres of rooftops for solar electric systems and marginal land that could host solar fields.

Solar fields could be situated on the margins of Hunter Army Airbase, and in some stretches of I-16 and the Truman Expressway. A few offshore wind turbines could supply significant energy to Tybee Island.

None of the above considerations are pie-in-the-sky. They could be phased in over a period of 10 years, create hundreds of jobs, and help make Savannah the Solar City of the South.

Action Plan

From a positive perspective, the original million-rooftop initiative helped stimulate general interest, provided an incentive for early adopters and helped build a national market. But, from a local perspective, a million solar rooftops is too diffuse.

Here a rooftop, there a rooftop does not lead to everywhere a rooftop. There is no critical mass to sustain local vendors, designers and installers.

While Solar Cities also incorporate scattered rooftop (or back yard) installations they tend also to be neighborhood or community based. They provide enough business during any given year to maintain full service companies, as well as some related businesses (electricians, plumbers, roofers), and do-it-yourselfers, that do more infrequent installations.

There is also a cascading effect. As homeowners, or prospective homebuyers, see their neighbors install solar systems, and hear tales of sharply reduced electric bills; they become more disposed to ordering one themselves. As the local market grows, it attracts investment capital and, potentially, manufacturers or assemblers.

How to get the main players into the game

[NOTE: The final version of this document will contain detailed examples of current practice.]

Following are some suggested actions taken by other cities and organizations that key stakeholders can consider:

State Government

• Eliminate the sales tax on solar and renewable energy equipment for at least five years. The costs are trivial compared to the prospects for job creation.
• Require that architects of all new publicly financed buildings, or extensive renovations, include the option of incorporating solar, geothermal or other renewable energy systems.
• Establish a revolving rebate fund with revenues based on voluntary collection of a Green surcharge (as little as 96 cents a month) on electric utility bills.
• Require true net metering by the utility companies
• Provide tax incentives to encourage developers to include renewable energy options in new construction.

Other states, and some utility companies, are doing much more. They are saving taxpayers money while building whole new industries. If the State of Georgia wants to captures its share of a dynamic market, now is the time to act.

Regional governments/Public Buildings/Public Spaces

• Enact legislation that would mandate new construction to be at least 30% more energy efficient than current standards.
• Examples from other cities include solar installations on: roofs of sport stadium, museums, libraries, public housing, government buildings, canopies over parking lots; building integrated photovoltaics.

Metropolitan Planning Commission

• Establish zoning for solar fields.
• Identify marginal lands and brown fields that can be converted to solar fields

Public and Private Schools

Schools are great potential solar energy generators because they are occupied less than 250 days a year and will generate the most electricity when the general demand is highest.

• Install a minimum of 1 kW on every building with a monitor in the school so that students can track the amount of energy produced. Design the installation so that additional modules can be added later as prices drop.
• Install solar roofing materials or panels on building that require new roofs
• Include a unit on solar and sustainable energy in every class
• Use programmable thermostats to reduce demand after school hours.

Local Colleges and Universities

• Major opportunities were lost in the construction of dormitories at SSU and SCAD, new academic buildings at AASU and Savannah Tech.
• New construction should incorporate the possibility of geothermal, and should be designed to take maximum advantage of solar energy.
• Solar canopies over parking lots and outdoor dining areas.
• Solar panels on roof areas over sports stadium.
• Establish "Sunshine Alumni Club" to help raise funds to retrofit existing buildings with some solar.
• Install solar roofing materials or panels on building that require new roofs.
• Identify marginal lands (those that flood periodically, for example) for possible installation of solar fields.
• Include courses in the use of solar power in sustainable development

Home Builders and Residential Real Estate Developers

Use Building America, LEED or other guidelines to reduce energy consumption by at least 30%. The European experience reports that a 3% increase in costs can reduce the amount of energy used by 30%. In fact, one city, Freiburg, Germany, requires that all new homes be built to this standard. According to the Department of Energys Building America, careful systems engineering of new buildings can accomplish the same objectives with little or no cost increase.

Architects and builders need to ask these questions first:

• How will we incorporate solar energy in this building/development?
• Will we use geothermal? Solar panels? Solar hot water? Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV)?
• How can we situate the building so that it has some substantial unobstructed areas facing south?
• If we just put in a small initial system have we provided the design for future solar electric expansion?
• Can we include a minimum of 1.2kW of solar electric?

In addition, developers should use solar electric for common areas; provide solar canopies for parking lots; use solar panels or BIPV on common buildings/community center, provide solar heating of swimming pools.

Developments that include a golf course can use solar lighting, solar panels on the pro shop, solar electricity to charge golf carts, and solar canopies in parking lots.

Buyers of New Homes

• Current tax credit of 30% for residential solar water heating up to $2,000
• Current tax credit of 30% for residential solar electric up to $2,000.
• Tax credits can be carried forward.
• Systems must be installed by Dec. 31, 2008
• Buyers should insist on energy efficient features, Energy Star appliances
• Buyers planning to install solar at a later date can have the home made solar ready with installation of copper tubing and electric conduit while house is under construction.

Real Estate Agents

• Become familiar with the tax credits available, and know where to obtain energy mortgages
• Recognize that within a few years houses with solar will have a competitive advantage over those without solar
• Know how to identify those existing properties that could be retrofitted with solar

Commercial

• Current tax credit of 30% for solar and fuel cell installations, with no cap.
• Accelerated depreciation
• Systems must be installed by Dec. 31, 2008

Even though office buildings have a lower ratio of roof surface to building volume, they can still make a contribution to total solar energy usage because they are typically occupied only 5- 5.5 days a week, with a potential for 100 days of surplus energy production. They would also help reduce peak energy demand during the hottest summer days.

• Retail buildings and shopping malls have extensive roof areas for solar panels or solar roofing material.

• All could install solar canopies over parking lots and over the top floor of parking garages.

Industrial and "big box" solar

• Most industrial buildings, warehouses and distribution centers have tens of thousands of square feet of roof area that are ideally suited for solar roofing materials or large arrays of solar panels. Major installations already exist in other states.

Trade Unions, especially Building Trades

• Many union locals own their own buildings and can incorporate solar panels on the roof and on parking lot canopies. These buildings also have many surplus energy days because most are not used extensively on the weekends.
• They can use their own installation as a training program for other members of the union.
• They can also provide educational materials to their members to help them conserve energy at home, and spread that knowledge to their neighbors.
• Many union members have strong do-it-yourself skills, and once they participate in a solar project they would be able to add solar panels to their own homes and save substantial installation costs.

Chambers of Commerce

• Provide educational programs for their members on methods of incorporating solar in their businesses and in their homes.
• Sponsor community-wide educational programs and fund pilot projects.

Savannah Economic Development Authority

• Actively recruit solar oriented manufacturers, integrators, designers and architects.

Utility Companies

• Embrace solar -- a major change of mindset.
• Accept true net metering
• Provide financial incentives for solar installations that, cumulatively, reduce the necessity for capital investment in new power plants.

Utility concerns

While there are exceptions, most utility companies want to stay with the model they now have large centralized facilities -- which may provide economies of scale, and reasonably predictable costs.

The solar model is more decentralized. From the utilities point of view each individual solar site will vary in size and amount of electricity produced at any given moment. This can lead to a monumental headache, as the load on the power grid must be kept balanced at all times. Utilities will have to invest in new control systems to maintain the integrity of the supply of electricity. Besides, utility executives dont like monumental headaches.

Right now, solar electricity is much more expensive for a utility than the installed generating base. (There is an exception - on hot days when peak demand for air conditioning requires the utility to kick in backup systems, which cost more to operate.)

Local utilities typically pay about 3 - 4 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). However, the residential consumer pays over 9 cents per kWh. So, a system that is more costly for a utility may be a bargain for a homeowner particular because the cost of electricity from a solar system will remain constant for years, while that charged by a utility will most assuredly increase.

Banks & Other Financial Institutions

• Educate prospective homebuyers as part of the mortgage process
• Put solar installations on their own buildings (which could generate surplus as the buildings are only used for 5-5.5 days a week and are closed on holidays) and canopies in parking lots.
• Provide solar financing and energy mortgages
• Provide discounted loans for their own employees who want to install solar on their own homes.

Architects and Facility Engineers

• Think solar energy; think green. Think outside the box.
• Show your clients how incorporating solar can earn LEED points and improve both resale and rental prospects.
• Gain competitive advantage when compared with other firms that do not have solar credentials

Federal Government Buildings and Military Installations

Major missed opportunity in the construction of barracks at Hunter Army Air Base, which have neither solar hot water nor solar electric panels.

• Accelerate the current program to install solar on federal buildings and mandate that all new construction contain a solar component.

Houses of Worship and Related Buildings

• Participate in Georgia Interfaith Light & Power.
• Install solar panels on roofs and solar canopies in parking lots. As many houses of worship are unoccupied for long periods of time they can become net generators of solar electricity.

Toward a Zero Energy Community

Most of the discussion about solar and renewable energy sources focuses attention on a specific source: biodiesel, biomass, wind power, micro-hydro, hydrogen, fuel cells, etc. My focus is on the development of Zero Energy communities, whole communities that generate as much energy as they consume.

This concept is not pie in the sky. Near Zero Energy Communities were begun in other states in 2003.

My definition of such a community includes single and multiple family residences, retail and office buildings, markets, shopping centers, public buildings (school, police precinct, fire station, library, post office), service stations, churches, medical center, common areas, recreational facilities, community center, restaurants, theater, etc.

In an idealized community, the first consideration is planning and here I borrow some concepts from New Urbanism residential neighborhoods within comfortable walking distances of shops, community centers, and a transportation hub. To this I add acreage set asides for solar fields, perhaps a wind turbine, and local production of biofuels and hydrogen.

The next consideration is the siting of individual buildings so that at least one section of unobstructed roof, or one side of the building, is facing south. Residential layouts could include small parks surrounded by three or four story buildings (similar to squares in historic Savannah ,or a few neighborhoods in Ardsley Park). I am particularly fond of European-style plazas, bordered by a mix of commercial and residential buildings, or a layout similar to City Market.

The third consideration is the method of construction from the choice of materials, the reduction in the amount of waste, the incorporation of energy efficient building techniques, and the use of energy efficient appliances and lighting. Most new construction could easily incorporate geothermal heating and air conditioning. Each building would also include a solar water heating system, and roof mounted photoelectric panels or roofing materials, and/or building integrated photovoltaics.

Roof gardens, rain water collectors, pervious paving of parking lots and driveways, solar canopies covering parking areas, solar street lighting, and underground utilities would be other features of this community.

None of the features Ive mentioned are dependent on future technologies. They can be incorporated today.

While some buildings will consume more energy than they generate, others will periodically produce surplus energy: schools, churches, storage facilities, and public and commercial buildings that are occupied only five or six days a week.

The remaining energy will come from a solar field and, depending on local conditions, one or more wind turbines. (Solar fields can consist of pole mounted photovoltaic panels, or solar concentrators, both photovoltaic, which increase the efficiency of solar cells, or those that concentrate the heat of the sun to generate electricity.)

Regionally produced biofuels and/or fuel cells can also be used for local back-up power.

All forms of solar and renewable energy are major job creators and local wealth builders. They deserve subsidies, grants, and low interest loans, for both new construction and retrofits, to help attract and build a flourishing industry right here, in Savannah and the Coastal Empire.

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Comments? Suggestions? Call 912-233-4288
or e-mail me: jack@solarsavannah.com