GSA Solar: Good Green Government!

The US GSA has a division that is directly responsible for the research, development, advocating and implementation of solar energy provision and principals. The GSA has been working for decades developing a strong conservation record and exceeding their yearly goals to reduce energy consumption as set forth in the Energy Policy Act of 1992.

The GSA solar division is incorporating renewable energy technologies in their design, building and retrofitting efforts for both new and existing structures. Self-generated power sources provided an estimated 3.3 billion BTUs of energy from renewable projects in 2006 alone. The GSA operates 12 solar photovoltaic stations that produce an output exceeding 543.7 megawatt hours annually. They also operate 2 in-process solar thermal projects that generate 600 million BTUs as well as one completed project that generates 830 million BTUs.

The GSA solar division is responsible for newer projects like the Trenton Courthouse Annex in Trenton, New Jersey as well as a building-integrated photovoltaic system being installed in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Waltham, Massachusetts. The NARA building's roof is completely constructed of photovoltaic solar panels and is estimated to save the government $204,000 annually. Itis producing over 50% of the building's total energy needs.

Alone, this may not seem so great, but when all buildings are integrated with the power of the Sun in the near future, the savings will be astronomical and our societal dependence on fossil fuel energy will have been greatly diminished. The GSA solar division also created a solar park in the Denver Federal Center. It alone will save the city $405,000 annually in grid-based electrical costs. Also, any excess energy produced is fed directly into the electrical grid, again diminishing fossil fuel conversions.

The future of the world's energy will be based heavily on solar sources and the GSA's solar division is helping to make it happen!