Platt-Whitelaw Architects

solar energy

A Wind(sun)fall for Schools

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Investment Tax Credits Will Support Solar Panel Installations at our Nation’s Schools

At the end of 2020, we wrote about our work helping to implement San Diego Unified School District’s ambitious goals to create solar energy at every one of its more than 200 school campuses as well as various administrative facilities.

Our architects are providing design criteria to be used by design/build contractors for parking lot and playground shelters topped with solar panels. If you missed our article the first time around, it’s worth a look! Just click on the hyperlink above.

As that work continues and more school districts contemplate and implement solar energy systems, we’re celebrating the financial incentives now available to these school districts through H.R. 5376, also known as the Inflation Reduction Act.

According to Solar Power World, the Act includes a 10-year extension of the solar investment tax credit (ITC) at 30% (previously 26%) for both residential and commercial/utility-scale projects, direct pay for nonprofit and governmental entities, a 30% ITC for standalone storage, manufacturing credits for solar components and much more.

PV Magazine tells its readers, “Solar power projects eligible for the full 30% tax credit can increase their tax credit by an additional 10% – to 40% in total – by purchasing domestically produced hardware.”

We’re so glad this Act will support the good work already underway at SDUSD and other school districts around the country. Even better, the increased financial support may put solar energy in reach for additional school districts.

Also of note is a schools-specific provision of the Act that protects children, with investments to monitor and reduce pollution at public schools in disadvantaged communities.

Whether designing new schools, modernizing schools or helping to power schools with solar energy, it’s hard for us to imagine investments more worthwhile than schools and the children attending them. With help from the Inflation Reduction Act, our nation’s schools can become more environmentally responsible, save money on energy and divert more operating capital to providing a first-rate education.

Hello, Sunshine! Platt/Whitelaw Architects Helps SDUSD Schools Go Solar

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By Sandra Gramley, AIA, LEED ap BD+C

At Platt/Whitelaw, we’re helping empower schools in more ways than one. While school design and modernization have long been part of our work product, some recent San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) directives have us literally powering schools.

As of September 2020, 7,332 K-12 schools throughout the nation use solar power. This number represents approximately 5% of all schools nationwide. The Brighter Future: A Study on Solar in U.S. Schools report goes on to list the top five states for schools using solar power: California, New Jersey, Arizona, Massachusetts and Indiana.

It’s no surprise that the Golden State, especially with Southern California’s abundant sunshine, factors large on that list. Locally, SDUSD, California’s second-largest school district, is creating one of the largest distributed solar energy plants in the United States, according to news released by AMSOLAR Corporation.

Engie Services reported that SDUSD is expected to achieve $9.08 million in energy savings over the life of its solar program. As California’s second largest school district, SDUSD is a leading example of what schools can do to practice energy efficiency.

It’s not just other school districts that pay attention—it’s also the students themselves. SDUSD students can learn about environmental responsibility and solar energy through onsite science and education programs that incorporate these solar installations in the curriculum.

Platt/Whitelaw Architects is very proud to be one of two San Diego architecture firms providing its services to help implement SDUSD’s ambitious goals to create solar energy at every one of its more than 200 school campus as well as various administrative facilities. Bond measures passed by local voters made this possible.

The District has also worked with Sage Renewable Energy Consulting, an independent energy consulting and project management firm based in San Rafael, California, that provides public agencies with energy expertise to plan, build and manage solar, storage and efficiency projects.

Our architects are providing criteria design to be used by design/build contractors for parking lot and playground shelters topped with solar panels at fourteen schools. Platt/Whitelaw staff is now designing for twelve more sites, some of which are administrative support facilities, including a transportation center where the solar panels will support the District’s plans to electrify its bus fleet.

Performing this work during the pandemic initially meant delays as some of the project team members were unable to assess the campuses while they were completely closed to the public. Ultimately, campuses were opened to limited personnel, and installation became much easier without having to accommodate students on site during construction. Overall, projects are completing on schedule.

The design work comes with some challenges. Most of the solar arrays are mounted on shade shelters, so architects need to consider path of travel so that playgrounds and parking lots can remain accessible under Title 24 standards.

Solar installation standards must be considered in the design, too. Panels need to be level rather than conforming to the slope of the ground below.

Solar panels have been critical for defraying energy costs from cooling classrooms. Fortunately, the cost savings goes beyond covering just air conditioning.

By lowering operating costs, school districts boost their budgets for costs associated with altering instructional programs for distance or hybrid learning, hiring more teachers, updating and expanding book supplies and more.

SDUSD’s energy savings program also included conversion to LED lighting and HVAC system upgrades. In 2015, the SDUSD’s Board of Education adopted climate mitigation and adaptation goals to achieve 100% renewable energy use by 2030 and various other strategies to increase environmental responsibility.

Ten years shy of that time horizon, SDUSD has seen dramatic results. According to Distributed Energy, “the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) lays claim to having one of the lowest utility costs per student in the country.” The District has reduced its energy usage by 25% since putting in place energy efficient strategies.

We’re honored to help the District achieve its climate mitigation and adaptation goals and to play a part in creating teaching opportunities for SDUSD’s more than 135,000 students.

Decarbonization Succeeds Net-Zero-Energy as Sustainability Goal

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By Sandra Gramley, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C

As little as a year ago, zero net energy dominated the discussion in sustainability circles. In architecture, that means designing or retrofitting buildings to produce at least as much energy as they consume.

Since that goal was based on solar energy supplied by roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) panels, after PV panels became cheaper and more prevalent, the next step was to aim higher.

Enter decarbonization.

Decarbonization relates to the reduction of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Those gasses causing the most damage are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gasses. Most of these harmful gasses are generated by producing, transporting or burning fossil fuels.

Most cites’ and states’ climate goals are closely tied to reducing the use of fossil fuels.

According to Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, “In 2015, CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel combustion in the U.S. building sector generated 565.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMtCO2e) in direct emissions, or about 8.6 percent of total U.S. greenhousegasemissions.”

This contribution makes buildings the fourth highest emitting sector in the U.S.

Health is also an issue. Air quality and public health professionals teamed to ask the California Energy Commission to safeguard public health by adopting an all-electric energy code by 2022.

Citing an article in Nature by Irene C. Dedoussi, et. al. entitled Premature Mortality Related to United States Cross-State Air Pollution, this team wrote to the Commission, “…the lack of regulation of the building sector has meant that buildings are now the leading cause of premature death from combustion emissions (particulate matter and ozone).” 

They also pointed out that one in eight Californians has asthma, and that this group of people may be at especially high risk from indoor gas appliances and systems.

Moreover, as noted in a Lancet article by Michael Guarnieri and John R. Balmes entitled Outdoor Air Pollution and Asthma, the team pointed out in their letter that “asthma rates are higher in low-income communities and communities of color.” As building codes evolve, matters of environmental justice like this are increasingly important considerations.

Fortunately, with production of wind energy on the rise and solar panels becoming more affordable, it makes sense for buildings to maximize the energy available from these clean sources.

A major aspect of decarbonization, as it relates to building design, means moving to all-electrical appliances and systems. Solar and wind energy can make electricity, and if a building uses electricity instead of gas, it can be powered entirely by clean energy.

With proper planning and design, buildings can also accommodate electric vehicle charging, thereby facilitating the transition away from combustible fuel vehicles.

Architects play an important role in this transition to decarbonization and building electrification. As such, the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) has been advocating for and promoting decarbonization strategies and policies.

I serve on this committee and work with other architectural leaders to encourage more public agencies to create “reach codes” that would encourage or require electrification. Reach codes are local requirements that exceed the state code.

Many cities have emerged as leaders. The City of Berkeley, California, which prohibited natural gas infrastructure in new construction last year, has led the charge on decarbonization and electrification measures. Other Northern California cities and some places in Massachusetts have taken steps too, as well as a smattering of cities in other states.

Closer to Platt/Whitelaw Architects’ home in San Diego, the City of Carlsbad is limiting the use of natural gas. Already a leader in the zero net energy movement, the County of San Diego is also one to watch.  

It is important for architects to educate their clients about how easy and affordable it is to electrify a new building that will have PV panels.  

Retrofitting existing buildings presents a greater challenge, but Berkeley is considering incentives for making this more financially feasible for owners. It remains to be seen how other cities will address this issue.

Another challenge is ensuring that essential facilities have emergency power that doesn’t rely on fossil fuel-powered generators. The game changer here likely will be high-capacity solar cell backup batteries, but the technology is still evolving.

According to an article on Nature.com, “Before the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, emissions of carbon dioxide were rising by about 1% per year over the previous decade, with no growth in 2019.”

The need to roll back greenhouse gas emissions is dire and immediate. Electrifying buildings can make a big impact in this effort. Help spread the word by sharing this article and talking to your friends, family and coworkers.