October 17, 2008—Novan Solar Inc. was chosen for the design and installation of a 68-panel solar thermal system for pool heating at the new University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Recreation Center. It will be installed in the fall of 2008, says the company.
The new $12 million dollar Campus Recreation Center features a swimming pool, aerobic and fitness rooms, an indoor running track, a basketball court and two gyms inside. Students voted to tax themselves $5 a student per semester for five years to install solar energy on the campus. The system continues the university’s commitment to sustainability and reduced operational costs, along with helping the new construction’s LEED-silver certification.
The Novan solar system will generate nearly 9,000 therms (the equivalent of 270 MWh) of energy every year. More than sixty metric tons of carbon dioxide (green house gases) will be offset by the UCCS system each year—the equivalent of carbon sequestered annually by 12 acres of pine and fir forests, or the greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 16 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.
It is expected that during the course of the system’s 30+ year life, it will have paid for itself 2-3 times over, says UCCS.
Novan Solar Inc., the largest solar thermal company in Colorado and the Southwest, specializes in turnkey solutions for large-scale commercial and industrial water heating needs. For more information, see the Web site.
