|
In an earlier posting on this blog, I advocated for creating a Green Commission to be a permanent part of Shorewood government. I proposed that the Green Commission have a very broad portfolio, to review all actions and proposals of departments, panels and other commissions, for the affect they will have on the environment.
The need for more space for the Shorewood Police Department would be an excellent start for the Green Commission. Whether it is decided to build a new facility for the Shorewood Blues, or to modify the existing Village Campus, the Green Commission should be an integral part of the process.
Studying how various proposals for SPD’s new facility will affect our environment, and how to limit adverse affects in an economically feasible way, will take a good deal of study and expertise. Some of the ideas that may be considered in such an undertaking could include some of the following:
HEATING AND COOLING
In discussions for modification of the existing Village Campus, the shortage of parking at that location has often been addressed. One of the solutions discussed was to make the existing parking area a two story parking structure. And as the parking area takes up a rather large footprint, there may be an opportunity to exploit what lies beneath it --- which is the stable temperature found underground, even in climates such as ours, that is used for Geothermal Heating and Cooling.
Geothermal Heating and Cooling works by pumping water through a closed loop of pipes buried in the ground. In heating mode, heat is extracted from the water as it passes through a condenser, and released through the evaporator coil. For air conditioning, heat is extracted from the evaporator coil and released into water through the condenser.
So one possible scenario would be to excavate the existing parking lot, bury the Geothermal Loop, and put a two story parking structure over it. Depending upon the physics involved, we may find that our Geothermal source to be large enough to also heat and cool the other existing buildings, such as the Village Hall and the Library.
GREEN SPACE AND WATER RUN OFF
If we have a two story parking structure, and we take the opportunity to excavate the site for our Geothermal source, we can also consider having all the parking underground. The top of the structure can be Green Space, with the added benefit of soaking up rain and snow runoff, instead of having it run off into the storm sewers.
By having underground parking, a couple of other added benefits would be that no snow plowing or salting of the parking lot would be necessary. And the truckloads of snow that the DPW currently hauls by dump truck to the river would not be necessary.
PLUGGING INTO THE SUN
Solar energy is becoming increasingly more practical and efficient. Any new or remodeled structure could incorporate Solar panels into the roofing. The Solar Electricity that we capture can be used for the lighting of the Village Campus, and perhaps even contribute to the electrical needs of the Geothermal System.
GREEN ECONOMICS
According to the Federal Department of Energy
“In large commercial installations, the initial costs of
GHPs are very competitive with boilers and cooling
towers. Major projects (larger than 300 tons) often
attract bidders from all over the country for designing,
drilling, and installation, thereby achieving very competitive
prices.
All these economies add up to a handsome return on
investment for businesses that choose GHPs. If the initial
cost of installing a GHP system is higher, these systems
typically pay for themselves in reduced energy and
maintenance costs in less than five years.”
IN SUMMATION
For the purposes of this posting, I am only able to scratch the surface of the options and benefits that a Green Commission would address. For instance, all the buildings on the Village Campus could have multiple heat exchangers, with excess heat from one zone having too much heat, perhaps from its particular sun exposure, sent to another zone that needs more heat !
If you would like to learn more about Geothermal Heating and Cooling, or other related topics, here are some sources listed by the DOE.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Office of Geothermal Technologies, EE-12
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20585-0121
(202) 586-5340
http://www.eren.doe.gov/geothermal/
The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Clearinghouse (EREC)
P.O. Box 3048
Merrifield, VA 22116
(800) DOE-EREC (363-3732)
Fax: (703) 893-0400
E-mail: doe.erec@nciinc.com
http://www.eren.doe.gov/consumerinfo
Geo-Heat Center
Oregon Institute of Technology
3201 Campus Drive
Klamath Falls, OR 97601-8801
(503) 885-1750
http://www.oit.osshe.edu/~geoheat/
Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium, Inc. (GHPC)
701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004-2696
(888) ALL-4-GEO (255-4436)
http://www.geoexchange.org/
International Gr
|
