As the sun bursts through weeks of massive rain, the Washington, DC, area is entering into several hot solar weeks.
The Washington Redskins and NRG Energy are holding a press conference 15 September to inaugurate Fedex Field’s solar panel installation.
Next week, the bi-annual Solar Decathlon opens at West Potomac Park (running from 23 September through 2 October). (Photo to right is the Decathlon’s “runway” from just a few days ago.)
And, the annual DC-area Solar Homes Tour will overlap with Solar Decathlon the weekend of 1-2 October.
Hot solar items worth knowing about and exploring further.
The NRG solar installation at FedExField is capable of meeting the stadium’s power needs on non-game days and providing up to 20% of the needed electricity on game days – the equivalent of providing 300 homes with energy for a full year. By using solar power technologies, the Redskins and NRG are keeping 1,780 metric tons of carbon out of the atmosphere – the equivalent of replacing 349 vehicles with gasoline engines with zero emission electric vehicles.
It’s also good to remember that once a car is cool inside, it takes a lot less energy to keep it cool. Result: Some of the best AC-related mileage boosting you can do occurs when the car’s not moving. That is, when it’s hot, park in the shade.
By providing shaded spaces, at least on hot and sunny days, there will be additional fuel savings as shaded cars’ air conditioners won’t have to work as hard. (Well, there is always the question of how much harder the heaters will work come a December game but the relative strength of September vs December sun suggests that the savings on air conditioning will outweigh the energy used to heat the slightly colder cars.)
Kudoes to Mitch Snyder and the Redskins for taking this step forward. As NRG Energy put it
The 8,000 panel installation – and the power it generates – demonstrates the reality of renewable energy solutions and options available in the U.S. now. In addition, the new design include several other solar features as well as 10 electric vehicle charging stations. The installation is designed to engage fans, educate the public and showcase the use of renewable energy.
n NRG-branded entry plaza at Gate A will inform fans about renewable energy and showcase clean energy technologies. The installation will include translucent solar panels, sculptures featuring thin film solar technology and 10 electric vehicle charging stations from NRG’s eVgosm charging network.“Our partnership with NRG will add to the fans’ game day experience at FedExField and offers a unique example of how solar energy installations can do more than generate power,” said Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins. “NRG’s expertise and vision are a great match for us and we are excited to be part of this effort that will reduce our environmental impact and offer our fans another unique experience.”
The Solar Decathlon is, to say the least, a serious competition. And, one of the great things about the competition is that it has become (much) harder with each one to lay out, with confidence, who will be at the top (and, well, bottom) of the leader board at the end of the decathlon. In 2009, everything single house had something (generally some things) about it that set it apart and ‘above’ the others. (See, German Solar Rides Power Surge to a Win for a discussion of the winning house in 2009 and links to many other Get Energy Smart! NOW! posts on The Solar Decathlon(s).)
More important about the ‘competition’ is the reality that each of these teams, and their 20 homes, will present very tangible examples of cost-effective paths to extremely beautiful ‘off-the-grid’ living. And, this 20 home ‘village’ provides a window on the sorts of technologies and approaches that can be applied, now, to improve America’s homes via better design, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.
Again, this is ‘must see’ if you are in the area. Take time out of your schedules to get there … you won’t regret the time.
Solar Homes Tour
Every year, in communities across the country, homeowners open their solar-powered homes to visitors and demonstrate that these technologies work — in everyday homes for every day home life.
The 2011 DC-area tour has over 50 homes available to visit with a range of solar and energy efficiency elements. (Be careful, most homes are available to visit on just one of the days.) The Saturday tour includes this home:
Washington, DC, area is entering into several hot solar weeks.
