Fueled By Sunshine
The Boston Globe
October 4, 2003
By Kira Gould
The two-year-old Media and Technology Charter High School, in a former Lincoln Motorcar Co. showroom at 1001 Commonwealth Ave. in Boston, has earned compliments from neighborhood and historic preservation groups for the skillful reuse of the building.
But it's on the roof where things get interesting.
An L-shaped array of photovoltaic panels collects solar energy, which provides an average of 14 percent of the school's energy demand, according to records kept since the system became operational in June - one of the rainiest months on record.
Photovoltaics are the contemporary cousin to the solar panels of the 1970s; this array is a 22-kilowatt system, the equivalent of what 20 houses would use in a day.
Leaders of the MATCH School, as it is known, appreciate both the savings, and the chance to make clean energy part of their school, as well as the curriculum.
"We're harnessing an emissions-free resource," said executive director Alan Safran. "We are lowering operating costs and reducing purchases of expensive peak power. And we're bringing energy and design issues into our classrooms at the same time."
Energy data are archived at a website, www.matchschool.org/solar, which students and teachers can access anytime; neatly dovetailing the solar panel effort with the school's mission to integrate technology.
When they are collecting energy, the solar panels provide 14 percent of the school's energy needs, which may not sound significant, but it does make a dent in utility costs, especially in summer.
"Even on a small building in the Northeast, you can make an impact on energy bills," said Pip Lewis of HMFH Architects in Cambridge, which designed the renovation and worked with Solar Design Associates on the photovoltaic system.
"Demand surcharges are coming, and this will virtually guarantee that the school won't be hit as hard by those."
The school receives public money for some of its operating budget, but not for capital costs. MATCH paid for most of the energy system with a grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's Green Buildings Initiative, which included support for curriculum development and real-time system monitoring accessible to faculty, students, and visitors. Last spring, science teacher Ann Chang included discussion of solar and other renewable energies in her ninth-grade science course.
The photovoltaic system, as installed, is not productive year-round. Snow piles up and shields the sun completely from time to time. A more expensive installation, such as one with angled panels, could have increased production.
But peak production in summer is a good fit for MATCH, because that is when the school's summer program is leaning hard on the grid to keep things cool inside.
(MATCH challenges students to long school days and study-filled summers to get ready for college. "Many urban teenagers start college," Safran said. "Our mission is to prepare them to succeed there.")
The renovation involved opening up long-sealed windows large enough to bring daylight deep into the building, and special glass helps keep heat out. Many classrooms do not require electric lights during the day.
The expansive windows also connect students with their urban context, near Boston University and right on the Green Line.
The tuition-free school for Boston students chosen by lottery was named best solar electric building in this year's Northeast Sustainable Energy Associaion's Green Building Awards. The jury noted that the project illustrates "how to adapt an existing structure responsibly for new use" and that the system is large enough "to make a meaningful contribution to the building's electricity needs and fits well with the educational mission and curriculum of the school."
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2003 Headlines |
Fueled By Sunshine
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