San Francisco Project Soars with Solar Panels

The new California Academy of Sciences building in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco features a large solar electric installation.

Designed especially for the academy by Open Energy Corp., it is the company's largest installation to date. Manufactured by Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd., a manufacturer of photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules, the project features 720 4 x 6 foot glass panels embedded with photovoltaic cells. The panels are arranged in a solar canopy around the academy's 197,000-square-foot roof and is one of the largest photovoltaic glass canopies in the United States. The solar installation is a key factor in the academy's attempt to achieve LEED Platinum certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) from the U. S. Green Building Council. The museum was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, and opened September 27.

"The California Academy of Sciences will be one of the greenest museums ever constructed, and our goal is to achieve LEED Platinum certification," says Ari Harding, the building management systems specialist at the academy. "The solar panels are important in helping us reach that goal, since energy efficiency is one of the criteria on which the building will be judged."

The solar energy panels complement the design of the structure, forming a decorative rim around the building's 197,000-square-foot living roof, which is home to 1.7 million native plants. The Starphire ultra clear glass for the project was provided by PPG Industries. The solar cells will generate 213,000 kilowatt-hours of energy per year, providing up to 10 percent of the academy's electricity need and preventing the release of 405,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions into the air. Even before the project opened, the system was already in the operational phase and had provided approximately 850 kilowatt-hours of energy per day.

The Open Energy solar solution for the California Academy of Sciences was installed by PermaSteelisa, the company's glass façade partner.

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