Oak Park Public Works Center now solar powered

Oak Park Public Works Center now solar powered

Going Green
By Jeremy Stoltz
News Editor

Solar collectors recently installed on the Oak Park Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd., supply all of the hot water used in the building, the first green-designed facility of its kind in Illinois.

Each of the 10 flat-plate solar panels on the roof of the 155,000 square-foot building is capable of producing 8,000 gallons of hot water a year in the Chicago climate. The temperature inside the panels can reach 200 degrees Fahrenheit on a 20-degree winter day, more than enough to supply public works crews with the few hundred gallons of water they routinely use each day.

The panels are maintenance free, shed snow and require only a single moving part: a small pump inside the building to circulate the solar-heated, non-toxic glycol from the panels through pipes in the water to be heated.

The solar panels are among a host of other green features designed into the building, which also includes a green roof and ultra-efficient mechanical heating and cooling equipment.

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Comprehensive Construction Services, Inc. (CCSI) in Naperville, has completed the construction of Pizza Fusion, an organic, earth-friendly pizza restaurant located at 2555 W. 75th St., Naperville.

CCSI constructed the restaurant using green construction technologies, such as utilization of recycled building materials, air filtration to keep HVAC units clean, installation of energy efficient fixtures and equipment, and recycling all construction waste.

As a result of the green construction process, Pizza Fusion has been selected as a Green Building of America Award-Winning Project that will be featured in the upcoming publication "Real Estate & Construction Review-Midwest" Green Success Stories edition.

Pizza Fusion's store owner and his architect have begun the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification process to become one of the first certified restaurants in the Midwest.

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U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-13th) introduced a resolution recognizing the value of high-performance buildings. The measure, H.Res.492, “Supporting the goals and ideals of High-Performance Building Week,” was introduced in early June.

“High-performance buildings should be part of the solution as Congress seeks to address other important issues,” said Biggert, who co-founded and co-chairs the Congressional High-Performance Buildings Caucus with Rep. Carnahan.

“For example, as we move to address climate change, high-performance buildings can help reduce our carbon emissions. Currently, buildings are responsible for 39 percent of annual U.S. CO2 emissions.”

The purpose of the High-Performance Buildings Caucus is to heighten awareness among the public and policymakers about the impact of buildings on health, safety and welfare, as well as the ways in which high-performance buildings can address these issues.

High-performance buildings integrate energy conservation with environmental, expense, safety, durability, accessibility, sustainability, functionality and operational considerations, producing tangible benefits for operators and occupants.

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Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) has added 50 new Toyota Prius hybrids and plug-in hybrids to a fleet that now numbers more than 2,100 green vehicles. ComEd meter readers in Chicago and the company’s Maywood office will drive the 50 new Priuses.

Currently, 63 percent of the ComEd fleet uses a fuel source other than 100 percent gasoline. This includes 1,774 trucks that use biodiesel fuel (20 percent soybean oil, 80 percent diesel); 250 E85 flex-fuel vehicles that use ethanol; 91 hybrid Ford Escape SUVs; one biodiesel-electric hybrid bucket truck; one liquid petroleum gas bucket truck; and the 50 new Prius vehicles.

Compared to a non-green fleet, these vehicles emit 1,400 fewer metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. This is the equivalent of removing about 320 cars from the road for a full year.

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A group representing Illinois, five other states and Manitoba are recommending a so-called “cap-and-trade” system that would set a ceiling on emissions while also requiring polluters to buy rights to release carbon in the future.

Brad Crabtree, program director at the Great Plains Institute, said the Midwest plan still has a way to go before implementation, but the region's dependence on energy from burning coal gives the proposal a lot of weight nationally.

“Everybody was waiting to see what would happen with the Midwest,” he said. “It's fair to say that nationally, the Midwest has surprised the country by taking such a broad-based approach to the issue.”

The advisory group includes representatives from industry and agriculture stakeholders, state agencies and environmental groups. Some industry groups oppose "cap-and-trade" policies, calling them too expensive and difficult to administer.

The Midwest proposal aims for a nearly 20 percent reduction in current levels by 2020 and an 80 percent cut by 2050. Crabtree says the proposal going now to state leaders is an effective compromise that would create an economically viable transition.

“It needs to take place in a way that allows both time and incentives for those responsible for a lot of energy use and CO2 emissions to make those adjustments,” he said.

In addition to Illinois, the advisory group includes representatives from Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Manitoba and Kansas.

Posted on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 (Archive on Tuesday, June 30, 2009)
Posted by jstoltz Contributed by jstoltz

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