In 2008, UVA's EcoRemod, The City of Charlottesville and LEAP began renovating an older home that had been neglected for many years. As part of the project, the house, a 1920’s landmark located on 608 Ridge Street in Charlottesville would undergo deep energy retrofit. Two years later, LEAP's new office now stands as a great city home that happens to wear some very cool (or warm) clothes. Altenergy is proud to have installed solar energy systems on this structure, with generous funding from Dominion Power, the City of Charlottesville, and the many volunteers and trade contributors. The energy efficient construction coupled with the renewable energy generation has resulted in a great educational show piece for all to see.

The Solar Energy

There are two different types of solar energy systems Altenergy installed on the Charlottesville EcoRemod House. A photovoltaic system which produces electricity and a solar thermal system that produces domestic hot water.

Photovoltaic System (PV) - This system is made up of (27) 215 watt Sanyo solar modules for a total of 5,805 watts of electrical production. The power density of the Sanyo modules is one of the highest in the industry, allowing us to build a very powerful system in a small amount roof area. This array will produce over 7 million Watt Hours of electricity per year, or about 585 Kilowatt Hours per month. Look at your electricity usage on your bill to see how much power you use in your home. The electrical production of this array is net metered by Enphase Micro grid-tied inverters. PV arrays that utilize micro inverters are more productive in sites that have sporadic shading issues similar to this site. This system is grid tied, meaning that all of the electricity it produces is either consumed on site in the house, or pushed back on the electrical grid to be used by another utility customer. If the electrical grid goes down, this system is also equipped with a battery storage unit to provide emergency power to selected appliances, the solar hot water pump and lighting throughout the house, and to provide a research point for potential electric vehicle energy exchange. The University of Virginia Schools of Engineering and Architecture will continue to monitor and research operations for several years.

Solar Thermal System (solar domestic hot water) - The Apricus solar hot water collector located on the roof collects heat throughout the day in a solar storage tank located in the basement. This system will provide seamless whole house domestic hot water supply, regardless of solar gain, and will utilize any solar collection to reduce traditional energy consumption. Solar thermal systems are very effective at producing heated water, and reduce energy demand. If solar gain is high, no additional electrical energy will be needed to provide hot water, with a back-up electrical element to provide reliable hot water production. The solar thermal system can supply annually about 70-80% of DHW (domestic hot water) needs for a family of 3-5, depending on lifestyle (90 to 100% in summer, 60-70% winter). A digital controller which has a easy to read graphic display monitors roof-top and storage tank temperatures and controls the operation of the system. These systems can be easily installed on new or older homes.

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