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 NCALL is going green! NCALL just completed the installation of 66 solar photovoltaic panels on the south-facing side of the roof of our Dover office. Support from the Longwood Foundation and the City of Dover helped to finance the work, contracted by Flexera, a Harbeson, DE based firm. Our hope is to promote this state-of-the-art technology to our multi-family housing developments and first-time homebuyers that we assist. Take a look below at how quickly NCALL is able to demonstrate the benefits of renewable energy:
After design and resource development work by Joe Myer and Housing Specialist Mark Lasocha, very little preparation was needed to begin work. Here, the uni-rack mounting system is being installed. The system was sized to NCALL's need and engineered to take full advantage of the perfectly oriented roof.
After the mounting system was installed, panels were put into place. Meanwhile, electricians installed the inverter systems which convert the solar energy to electricity. These 66 panels cover a 32x40 foot area.
On the third day, the work is done, and NCALL is on its way to saving up to 70% on energy costs through generated electricity and a revenue stream of solar energy credits. The $88,000 system will pay for itself in nine years, and will stabilize energy costs for the future. This energy project follows a September 2008 "Green Audit" of NCALL which demonstrated that out of 12 nonprofits audited, we were the fourth "greenest", even before undertaking this and other energy-saving strategies.
A monitor in our lobby displays energy savings, kilowatt hours generated daily, and also graphs the reduction of our carbon footprint. Please take a look the next time you are in the area!
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