Renewables Integration
Renewables Integration
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Strategic use of renewables can help businesses reduce energy costs and their environmental footprint. Through the Renewables Technology Research Team, partners receive unbiased advice and share experiences to help each other navigate complex regulations, business models, and utility policies. Specific efforts include aggregating renewables case studies across different sectors, creating guides for consideration of solar on commercial buildings, and producing a template that organizations can use to build a request for proposal for solar system procurement. |
Events Calendar
Better Buildings partners participate in webinars, peer-exchange calls, meetings, and industry workshops and conferences. Browse upcoming events and opportunities to participate by month.
Partner List
Through the Better Buildings Alliance, over 200 public and private sector organizations across the country are working together to share and replicate positive gains in energy efficiency.
Join the Better Buildings Alliance
Team up with DOE’s exceptional network of staff and technical experts to determine energy savings goals, develop innovative cost effective energy solutions, and deploy efficient technologies and market practices.
Featured Solutions
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Solar PV has the potential to provide significant benefits to hotels by way of attracting guests and, more importantly, reducing operating costs. For more information on solar PV evaluation, visit the Renewables Integration Technology Solutions page. |
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This guide explores the benefits, barriers, and strategies to installing solar on leased buildings, including commercial real estate. |
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This document provides guidance for implementing Solar PV in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. |
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This resource highlights best practices to selecting a commercial solar provider. Business owners interested in going solar can take the following steps to install an on-site solar photovoltaic (PV) system. |
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Commercial Rooftop Solar FAQ Guidance When a commercial building owner first considers installing solar PV, the first questions they ask typically involve how the system will be mounted to their roof and its impact on the roof warranty. This fact sheet addresses such common questions as identified by the Better Buildings Alliance’s Renewables Integration Team.
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This guide is intended for anyone investigating the addition of energy storage to a single or multiple commercial buildings. |
Other Resources
Case Studies
BJ’s installed nearly 20 systems that collectively produce 5.5 megawatts of direct c urrent (MW-DC) annually. The individual project sizes range from 260 kilowatts (kW) to 1.3 MW.
Implementing Solar in Leased Buildings Case Study
Nixon Peabody has made a number of energy efficiency renovations to their Washington, D.C. office, including a three story living wall, which is watered using condensate from the HVAC system. The firm also is incorporating renewable energy.
The Tower Companies is committed to being an environmental leader in the real estate industry and pursued its first solar photovoltaic (PV) installation on a large, class A office building in Washington, D.C.
Ground Mounted Solar Array in Hospitality Case Study
TownePlace Suites discovered an unused four-acre piece of land adjoining one of its properties, and developed the land with a solar installation, decreasing electric costs and improving the hotel’s environmental reputation.
Ground-Mounted Solar Array in Healthcare Case Study
Madera Community Hospital worked with an energy service company (ESCO) to complete energy efficiency upgrades and select a partner to maintain a solar PV array under a 20-year PPA with the hospital.
Installing Carport Solar Array Case Study
The Hampton Inn & Suites Bakersfield North-Airport, to mitigate electricity costs, installed a carport solar array that produced monthly savings of $8,800.
Installing Hotel Rooftop Solar Array Case Study
Bardessono, a hotel in Yountville, California was designed to be one of the most energy efficient hotels in the world, including a roof-top solar array in the design to achieve significant energy savings and LEED Platinum certification.
WDT Indio performed a whole-building retrofit on the 40-year-old concrete structure, installing a 138 kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic (PV) array to contribute 80 percent of the building’s energy consumption.
Roof-Mounted Solar Array in Healthcare Case Study
North Shore-LIJ HS, recognizing that its healthcare facilities consume large amounts of energy because of how they operate and the complex technologies that are necessary to treat its patients, installed a 50 kilowatt solar PV array on the roof of its Materials Management Building.
Parking Ramp Solar Array In Healthcare Case Study
Gundersen Health System constructed one of the nation's first LEED parking structures for a hospital, complete with PV panels. As of 2014, the system is one of the first to offset 100 percent of its energy use with renewable energy.
Guidance
This presentation examines solar finance for residential and commercial customers and potential roles of state and local government.
Use this template to develop your own Request For Proposal (RFP) document, which will effectively communicate the specifications of your desired PV solar project to vendors in your area.
Solar PV Cost Proposal Template Guidance
Use this template in conjunction with the Solar PV RFP & Procurement Guidance Template to develop a customized form for vendors to complete when responding to your Solar PV RFP.
This document is intended to reduce project development and operational risks while increasing the speed at which projects are completed -- two necessary components to reach the scale required to meet mandates and achieve cost savings for taxpayers. This guide is intended to act as a living document where lessons learned from the increasing number of projects can be incorporated and provide guidance for efforts.
This report provides guidance for businesses considering implementing solar PV, as there are widespread geographic differences regarding utility incentive structures, utility policies, regulatory structures, and permitting requirements.
Developed in partnership with Spark Northwest and the Center for Sustainable Energy, IREC’s guide outlines two potential pathways to enable greater solar access for renters and multifamily residents and LMI communities in Seattle.
Implementation Model
Regency Centers - Landlord-Retailer PPA (RILA Retail Energy Management Program) Implementation Model
Landlord-Owner Solar Helps Retailer Offset More than 65% of Energy Use.
Additional Information
Database of Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency
Find policies and incentives by state.
SunShot Resource Center
The Solar Energy Resource Center has over 100 unique documents developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, national laboratories and SunShot awardees.
The articles below go into detail on the rationale and business case to do metering and monitoring of solar PV systems on commercial buildings:
Priorities
Meet the Technology Expert
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Jay Paidipati leads the Better Building Alliance’s Renewables Integration Technology Research Team and is focusing on helping overcome market and informational barriers to solar PV adoption. As a Director in Navigant’s Energy Practice, Jay has been working in the solar industry for eleven years. He has worked on a range of projects in solar, including due diligence of projects, corporate strategy, market assessments and technology assessments. Contact us to join the Renewables Integration Team or for additional information. |