Solar Roof Saves Energy for Federal Government
Public Buildings Service New England Region
The Frederick C. Murphy Federal Center in Waltham, MA is home to the Northeast Region Archives. The National Archives is the U.S. Government’s collection of documents that records important events in American history. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) preserve and maintain these materials and make them available for research.
The GSA Energy Center of Expertise, Office of Applied Science and Technology had been looking to demonstrate new off the shelf renewable energy technology. They were looking for a facility within the GSA inventory nationally, that met the criteria of 1) need 2) size and 3) site (solar availability). The Murphy Federal Record Center fit all the stated criteria; the existing roof had exceeded its system useful life. Failure of this roof system could result in loss of irreplaceable Federal documents. It also met the size criteria; at 144,000 sq. ft, it was large enough to demonstrate the use of the large flat flexible amorphous silicon panels. Solar tracking is good; the roof area is in full sun, all day, with no shading.
The new roofing system needed to be of the highest durability to help preserve the NARA’s mission, and would need to provide the latest in Energy Star (EPA) cool roof technology to maximize system payback through energy savings, per Executive Order 13423 and National Energy Policy Act of 2005.
The finished BIPV roof system has provided the NARA with unequaled protection of documents. The addition of a vapor barrier and added insulation has eliminated constant cycling of boilers and chillers to achieve the required precise humidity levels. The new roof has eliminated air stratification and provides unmatched space conditioning and air quality. The roof itself generates most of the needed electricity during daylight hours: the Integrated BIPV solar roofing system consists of a series of 10 x 40 foot solar electric roof panels—each of which has 12 flexible photovoltaic modules factory laminated to the surface of the membrane. These panels are then hot-air welded to Sarnafil EnergySmart Roof membrane and wired to the building’s electrical system.
This project also practiced construction waste management and the use of recycled content materials. In total, 105 tons of stone ballast and 15 tons of insulating material were recycled. The new membrane is manufactured with 100% recycled content product at a plant 15 miles from the Waltham building limiting energy consumption in material transport. These facts dovetail nicely with the NARA’s own recycling program which recycles enough destroyed documents, to effectively save an estimated 300,000 trees per year.
The Record Center has become a touch point for education of countless, visitors, researchers, engineers, school children and educators by way of the public information kiosk in the lobby. The kiosk provides a virtual tour and real time information about the generation output from the array, educates the public.
Contact:
James E. Devir
Chief, Facilities Management Branch 1PCF
GSA Public Buildings Service, Property Development
james.devir@gsa.gov
