Description Our project is a newly constructed building on a college campus. Adjacent to the proposed building is an existing athletic complex with a 40,000 sq ft flat rooftop. The client wishes to install solar arrays on the roof of the athletic complex which would tie into the electrical grid on campus. The grid is monitored by a single meter. The solar panels will be installed concurrently with the new building and will be intended to offset a significant portion of the load that the new building would add to the total campus energy consumption. The campus has no other new construction projects in the foreseeable future. Proposal Since the solar array and new building will be installed concurrently, the new energy consumption of the campus will be the addition of the new building energy consumption minus the generated solar power. It seems that all of the generated power could be applied to the new building, especially since no other buildings are going for LEED accreditation. We propose that the entire load generated by the solar array be applied to the new building. Please rule on the acceptability of this approach.
The applicant is requesting confirmation that this credit may be earned from a solar array located outside of the boundaries of the project site on the same campus as the project is located. The proposed action meets the intent of the credit, and is a viable path for credit achievement. As indicated in the "LEED-NC Application Guide for Multiple Buildings and On-Campus Building Projects" (https://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=1097), the applicant must provide data showing the projected energy consumption of the building being submitted, and the percentage to be met with their dedicated share of renewable energy. The owner should also submit a certification letter acknowledging that the renewable energy from the remotely located renewable energy system will apply only to the submitted project, and will not be applied to any subsequent buildings for any future LEED certifications.Update April 15, 2011: Please note that all 2009 projects in multiple building situations must follow the 2010 Application Guide for Multiple Buildings and On-Campus Building Projects, located here: https://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=7987. 2009 project teams should check this document for up to date guidance on all multiple building issues. Applicable Internationally.