Renewable Energy-Powered Gym is the World’s First
When Movement Climbing and Fitness will open its doors in July, its water will be heated with a 90-square-foot evacuated tube solar thermal system and its electricity will be produced by a 100-kilowatt photovoltaic array.
The solar systems will be owned by Lighthouse Solar and the building owners will purchase the energy the photovoltaic and solar thermal systems produce. The building owners benefit from a fixed power cost 10% below the current grid electrical rate, with savings increasing as electrical rates rise. Lighthouse Solar™ benefits by taking advantage of local, state and federal incentives and tax breaks which, combined with the monthly revenue stream from selling the electricity, provide investors in the PPA with a solid and predictable return on investment.
Scott Franklin, CEO and President of Lighthouse Solar™ explains, “The PPA concept is not new but by serving as both owner and installer Lighthouse Solar™ has streamlined third party ownership of clean energy systems, maximizing the value for everyone involved by avoiding distributor and subcontractor markups on both materials and labor.” The installation utilizes highly efficient and cost-effective photovoltaic panels and evacuated tube solar thermal collectors from Lumos™, a division of Lighthouse Solar’s parent company Clean Energy Solutions.
Tim Harrington, the gym’s general contractor said of the Lighthouse Solar™ PPA, “It is a state-of-the-art deal. Now I want to do it on my office. The biggest problem with commercial real estate is the utility bills – they’re enormous.”
Source: Sys-Con
