Solar Design Associates, a Harvard, Massachusetts-based solar engineering firm, has received the SunPower “Intelegant Award for Excellence” for an exceptionally well designed and installed commercial solar system completed in 2016 for Clark University in Worcester, Mass. The 143-kWdc solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftop canopy is producing clean energy from above Clark University’s new Student and Alumni Engagement Center.
“Solar Design Associates has demonstrated superior craftsmanship with the sleek design and installation of this SunPower system, featuring premium solar panels that are unmatched in performance, reliability and aesthetics,” said Nam Nguyen, SunPower senior vice president. “We congratulate Solar Design Associates for their extraordinary delivery of such an elegant commercial solar project, and look forward to our continued partnership with Solar Design Associates, supporting their continued success in 2017.”
Clark University’s Alumni and Student Engagement Center is the first building on the campus to be solar powered. Emphasizing Clark’s commitment to sustainability, they retained Architerra, a Boston-based architectural firm well known for sustainable design, and Solar Design Associates was selected for their innovative PV solutions. The building’s orientation allowed Solar Design Associates to design and utilize an east-west facing array. This “floating array” is mounted to a latticed canopy trellis elevated 15 feet above the building’s roof and is cantilevered from its edges. Elevating the array allowed for maximizing the PV system capacity, while accommodating access and air circulation to rooftop equipment beneath it. The east-west array was custom designed and built by Solar Design Associates. In completing system capacity optimization, SunPower’s 20 percent efficient, 327-watt, E-Series solar panels were used due to their reliable design and high performance.
“Solar Design Associates is honored to receive the 2016 ‘Intelegant Award for Excellence’ from SunPower,” said Steven Strong, president and founder of the firm. “SunPower’s innovative commercial solar solutions combined with Solar Design Associates’ reputation for high-quality work and customer service will help ensure that Clark University’s solar energy system delivers economic and environmental benefits for the next 25 years or more.”
Solar Design Associates previously won the SunPower “Intelegant Award for Excellence” in 2014 for the solar system the firm designed at the North Shore Community College’s Allied Health Science building in Danvers – the first project of Governor Deval Patrick’s net-zero building initiative for the Commonwealth.
News item from Solar Design Associates