Ellen Ross
Renewable
Energy Workshop Fieldwork
CDAE
106 Internship
Spring
2011
For my renewable energy fieldwork I worked with the Mill Yard Condo Assoc. in
order to discuss the possibilities of a photovoltaic system that would be
housed on the roof of the 44 units in the Mill Yard condo site. This site
proved challenging as there are 44 different units all housed in one building,
so there were 44 different meters. To find the load of the building, every
meter must be surveyed separately. By calling green mountain power with
residents account numbers I was able to find a good estimate of the usage of
the building. This turned out to be quite substantial, and Mill Yard will be
looking at a system upwards of 500kW. I also conducted research regarding the
incentives and grants that Mill Yard will be able to apply for and receive based
on the PV output.
I met with the board to discuss
options, and at this time the association is looking into site visits from
multiple vendors around the state to find out what the costs will look like, and if
the building has the structural integrity and roof footage in order to house
such a large system.