SILVER SPRING, Md.,
July 11, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/
-- Today, The Tower Companies and Prospect Solar, LLC
announced that Blair House, located at 8201 16th Street in
Silver Spring, Md., flipped the
switch on a newly installed solar photovoltaic (PV) system. The
project is the largest solar PV rooftop system on a multi-family
building in Montgomery County, and
will contribute to county's goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
to zero by 2035. The Tower Companies partnered with Prospect Solar
with the goal to inspire the real estate industry to play an active
role in fighting climate change by investing in on-site renewable
energy.
Prospect Solar, a Virginia-based, full-service solar provider,
designed and installed the 122 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system
for The Tower Companies ("Tower"), a privately held and
family-owned green building leader that has both owned and managed
Blair House since it was built in 1962. The 375,000 SF, 310-unit,
12-story multi-family building is LEED® Gold Certified under
Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance. The building is
also ENERGY STAR Certified with a score of 91, which means that its
energy performance is in the top 9 percent of similar buildings
nationwide.
"Investing in clean energy and more resilient real estate is not
only good for the environment, but it's also good for business,"
said Eugenia Gregorio, Tower's Vice
President of Strategy and Sustainability. "This investment will
yield a 100 percent guaranteed payback in the first year with
positive cash flow for at least 20 years to follow. On-site solar
installations like the Blair House project demonstrate a clear
business case for renewable energy and what is possible with an
enthusiastic team that is committed to addressing our climate
emergency head on."
The new solar PV system features 265 modules from U.S.-based
manufacture SunPower, with an estimated annual production of more
than 150,000kWh, or 12 percent of the total building energy demand.
That's enough electricity to power 75 apartments and is equivalent
to the amount of carbon offset by 125 acres of U.S. forests in one
year. Tower chose to purchase the system in lieu of a power
purchase agreement, and anticipates a payback of approximately one
year—a powerful model for other real estate owners to consider.
"The solar industry went from producing 4% of the nation's new
electricity generating capacity in 2010 to 51% in 2019. A lot of
this growth can be attributed to utility scale installations, but
recently more local real estate developers are realizing the
benefits," said Prospect Solar's Vice President Andrew Skinner. "Installing a solar array on a
1960's high rise building is just another great example of Tower's
leadership, proving that building owners can improve their bottom
line while meeting their sustainability goals."
The project will contribute to Montgomery County's Zero Carbon Goal, which
aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2027 and 100
percent by 2035. According to the Generation Attribute Tracking
System (GATS), there are more than 9,850 PV systems registered with
the Renewable Portfolio Standard Program in Montgomery County. That translates to
approximately 192 MW of PV capacity.
"Tower is a model real estate developer. Tower's commitment to
renewable energy, demonstrated by this new solar power installation
at Blair House, is a great example of how the private sector can
help reduce our country's—and the region's—carbon footprint," said
Montgomery County Council member Tom
Hucker, who represents Silver
Spring and chairs the council's Transportation and
Environment Committee. "The council declared a climate emergency in
December 2017, and if we're going to
meet this existential threat, we need everyone to step up like
Tower has."
According to The Tower Companies' Inaugural Corporate
Responsibility Report, the company has reduced greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions by over 45 percent since 2010 through capital
improvements and efficient operations. Since 2008, Tower has
supported renewable energy projects through strategic purchases and
on-site solar PV arrays to offset 100 percent of their portfolio's
carbon footprint. The company's first on-site solar PV project was
in 2014, when it completed the largest installation in Washington, D.C. on a Class A commercial
office building. Tower plans to expand their on-site renewable
energy portfolio with an estimated 2MW in the pipeline.
About The Tower Companies: For three generations, the
family-owned Tower Companies has maintained a commitment to
responsible development and continues to envision a world where
buildings inspire and enrich the lives of their occupants and
create positive social change. The sustainable building leader
owns, develops, and manages over 6 million square feet in the
Washington, D.C. metropolitan area
consisting of office buildings, office parks, lifestyle centers,
regional malls, eco-progressive live-work-play communities and
hotels, with an additional 13 million square feet in the
development pipeline. In 2004, The Tower Companies was the first in
the United States to achieve LEED®
certification at a multi-family community, Blair Towns, and since then, 95 percent of their
commercial and multi-family residential properties have achieved
LEED® certification and 80 percent are ENERGY STAR® certified. In
addition, Tower publicly reports their portfolio's carbon footprint
to The Climate Registry and offsets 100 percent of GHG emissions by
supporting renewable energy projects in North America. Through a partnership with the
Department of Energy, the Tower Companies pledged to reduce energy
and water consumption 20 percent by 2020, then surpassed those
targets in 2017. The Tower Companies is an international authority
in the industry and has been recognized for its commitment to
sustainability and energy independence by numerous national
organizations and federal agencies, including the U.S. Green
Building Council, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, and more.
About Prospect Solar: Prospect Solar, LLC was established in
2010 as the professional's choice for design-build solar
photovoltaic energy system installation. They draw from the
construction industry experiences of their sister company, Prospect
Waterproofing Company. A foundation of more than 20 years of
roofing and waterproofing expertise allows Prospect Solar to
provide clients with exceptional quality and value. Prospect
Solar's turnkey service is as sustainable as their business model,
and continual investments in solar training, certifications, and
oversight ensure the safest possible installations. Prospect's
services include engineering, economic analysis, financing,
monitoring, and custom installations.
SOURCE The Tower Companies