In today’s rapidly changing energy economy, communities are increasingly looking for ways to lower electricity costs, reduce environmental impact, and improve building performance. In Orange County, North Carolina, the County Commissioner’s Office sought to add a rooftop solar array to their Cedar Grove Community Center. The center is a space that many Orange County residents utilize, with a gymnasium, internet cafe, library, clinic, multimedia room, and event spaces available for public use.

Photo Source: Orange County, NC

Sustainability Program Manager at the Orange County Manager’s Office, Amy Eckberg, reached out to the NC Clean Energy Technology Center for technical assistance to identify opportunities for reducing energy consumption. Eckberg was familiar with the Center, as she had attended webinars and conferences where NCCETC had a presence. The Center had also previously provided support for an agrovoltaic project in Orange County.

Eckberg contacted Senior Engineer at NCCETC, Steve Lysenko, to request an evaluation of the Cedar Grove Community Center’s rooftop to see if implementing a solar array would be viable. Lysenko sized the system, modeled the installation in HelioScope, and calculated the electric savings. He used the hourly PV generation profile from HelioScope, the hourly interval data provided by Orange County’s electric utility provider, and the appropriate rate schedule to calculate the annual savings on an hourly basis. All of this data was compiled and provided to Eckberg to be used for Orange County’s grant application.

HeliScope model of proposed solar installation.

Eckberg says, “He was amazing in terms of providing all of the tech aspects required of the grant…all of the things that we don’t have the capacity or expertise to do.” She appreciated his ability to explain and walk through the Community Center’s energy capacity and noted that Lysenko was helpful in explaining what was realistic and feasible. Lysenko calculated that the solar installation would generate 85,438 kWh annually and over $11,000 in annual cost savings.

With this data, the County was able to complete an application for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants. The grant funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and administered by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) State Energy Office (SEO).

At the end of May, DEQ announced nine projects that were selected to receive a combined total of $2.79 million in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants. Orange County was one of those selected projects, and the County will receive $196,000 to install a 59-kW solar array at the Cedar Grove Community Center. With the addition of the solar installation, the Community Center will serve as a resiliency hub in future times of crisis.

Eckberg says that Cedar Grove Community Center is a valuable space that residents often utilize. “Not only a vital clean energy project, but a great learning opportunity.” As it is located in a rural area, it is important for their community to have clean energy projects that residents can see and benefit from. It is also a good way to educate communities about the energy savings that can be achieved with the adoption of solar.

In addition to the installation at the Cedar Grove Community Center, Orange County is also getting ready to undertake a solar feasibility study to evaluate other facilities that would be good candidates for solar. Eckberg noted, “Having NCCETC and folks like Steve to help support those efforts is really important because we don’t have that technical expertise.”

Another project selected to receive funding from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants went to North Carolina State University (NCSU). NCSU will receive $403,000 to replace current lighting with energy-efficiency LED alternatives. They will also add occupancy sensors and dimming controls on lighting and airflow, in addition to recommissioning HVAC units. This project is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 188.2 metric tons annually, with over $30,000 of annual cost savings.

Learn more about the project selectees of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants here.

For other community organizations, companies, manufacturing facilities, and large industrial buildings interested in implementing energy efficiency measures or renewable energy projects to reduce energy consumption and costs, NCCETC is available to conduct fee-for-service technical evaluations. Explore the services that NCCETC’s Clean Power & Industrial Efficiency (CPIE) program offers here.