Bullitt Center Solar Panels

This grant option expired january 1st 2012.

Bullitt center solar panels.

The greenest commercial building in the world. One primary financing mechanism came through the federal 1603 program which awarded grants in lieu of tax credits for the photovoltaic array and ground source heat pump systems installed at the center. The bullitt center pursued a number of local state and federal incentive programs for water and energy conservation strategies. The goal of the bullitt center is to drive change in the marketplace faster and further by showing what s possible today.

Seattle receives slightly more solar radiation than germany a country well on its way to meeting read more. To achieve this goal the bullitt center has 575 solar panels on the roof creating a 14 000 square foot array to generate electricity. The bullitt center is located at. Solar can pencil out in seattle.

1501 east madison street seattle wa 98122. The era of harm reduction half steps and lesser evils is behind us. The bullitt center s roof consists of 575 photovoltaic panels a 1300 m 2 14000 ft 2 array capable of producing 230 megawatt hours of electricity per year. Rather than aiming the array due south with a tilt angle equal to its latitude as conventional wisdom dictates the designers realized that seattle s cloudy character is.

By david hill when the bullitt center opened in 2013 it was heralded as setting a new standard in high performance net zero design. It was calculated that the panels along with 20 sunpower inverters will generate more than 230 000 kwh of energy in an average year. As a society we need to be bold in ways that were once unimaginable. 230 000 kilowatt hours per year is the expected total energy generation by on site photovoltaic array.

To be certified as a living building the bullitt center must annually produce as much electricity as it uses. The developers of the bullitt center were able to take advantage of a 30 federal grant to use towards the purchase of the solar panels. An aerial view from the south showing the bullitt center s solar canopy metal panels stainless exterior blinds and glulam timber structure on upper floors. Nw wind solar designed a special racking system that extends beyond the bullitt center walls to install 575 425 watt sunpower photovoltaic panels on the roof.

The bullitt center demonstrates that net zero energy meeting the goals of the 2030 commitment is feasible today in a mid rise urban office building using an integrated design approach off the shelf technologies and attention to occupant effects on building energy use.