The newly constructed Loudoun County Homeless Services Center in Leesburg, Virginia, destined to become a Silver-certified LEED building, recently began generating part of its electricity needs for the facility with a 9.5-kilowatt solar photovoltaic array, which in Virginia’s relatively sunny climate can be expected to deliver about 13,000 kilowatt-hours per year, or enough to power a large American home.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the international paradigm for building efficiency and environmental awareness, and certifications are awarded in three categories: Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Administered as third-party certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, or USGBC, the designations recognize cutting-edge implementation of technology in five specific areas: energy savings, water conservation, carbon dioxide emissions reduction, enhanced indoor environmental quality, and conservation of resources with an eye to a system’s impacts.
The Loudon system, installed by Gaithersburg, Maryland-based Standard Solar, will also prevent about 9.3 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year from being generated by Dominion Virginia Power, which generates more than 40 percent of electricity from coal. The carbon dioxide prevented by Loudon’s solar system is also the equivalent of taking about 2 compact cars off the road, or planting 239 trees.
Standard Solar is a design-build solar firm operating in the public and private sector serving more than 400 solar-system owners in the Mid-Atlantic Region, and has created more than 50 “green” jobs since the summer of 2008, in spite of the recession.
The Loudon County Homeless Services Center, opened in September of 2009, was designed by Architecture, Inc., of Reston, Virginia, a LEED-certified design company, and offers transitional housing, a 24-bed short-term facility, and Emergency Cold Weather and Daytime Drop-in Centers for persons at risk. The center also features passive solar lighting and energy-efficient appliances.
The Loudon solar system is comprised of 44 panels at 216 watts each, manufactured by Memphis, Tennessee-based Sharp USA and funded via the Federal Community Development Block Grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, 2009), which mandates that equipment be made in America.
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