KAHULUI, Hawaii — As solar energy becomes more and more common in modern times, large institutions are demonstrating the undeniable benefits of using solar to the world at large. The University of Hawaii (UH) made an announcement on March 19 that its Maui College campus intends to generate 100 percent of its energy from on-site solar photovoltaic (PV) systems by 2019. Once the PV systems are installed, UH will be the first in the U.S. to accomplish this incredible feat on a college campus.  

Plans to install the new photovoltaic storage system on the UH Maui College campus are the result of a partnership between UH; Johnson Controls, headquartered out of Milwaukee, Wis., who will develop the PV systems; and Pacific Current, based out of Honolulu, who will own them. The new PV storage system will serve to fully eliminate all fossil fuel–based energy use by UH once complete.

The partnering between the three entities is the second phase of a larger and longer-term energy efficiency and renewable energy project of which Hawaii has committed. Hawaii’s goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy across the state by 2045 was first made in 2015. From this commitment, Hawaii Legislature made a goal for the university system across the entire state to accomplish net-zero status by Jan. 1, 2035. This goal includes 10 other college campuses across Hawaii. The recent partnership between UH, Johnson Controls and Pacific Current is a result of this initiative.

“Hawaii’s leaders set the national example of sustainability and renewable energy standards with the net-zero mandate by 2035 for UH, and we’re proud to partner with the university to help it reach that commitment and aim for UH Maui College to become the first campus in the U.S. to generate and store 100 percent renewable energy on site, 16 years ahead of schedule,” said Rod Rushing, president of Building Solutions North America at Johnson Controls, in a recent statement.

In addition to the huge changes the partnership will create for the UH Maui’s energy consumption, the Hawaii initiative has already enabled four other UH community college campuses on Oahu to reduce their fossil fuel consumption significantly — which was the first phase of Hawaii’s larger energy efficiency project and long-term goal in this area.

Based on a number of energy efficiency measures taken at the four UH community colleges — Leeward Community College, Honolulu Community College, Kapi’olani Community College and Windward Community College — they will now be able to reduce fossil fuel use by 98 percent, 97 percent, 74 percent and 70 percent, respectively.

The energy efficiency measures implemented at the four campuses — as well as the UH’s Maui campus — included distributed energy storage, solar shade canopies and more. These changes were made after 2010 when UH signed its first energy performance contracts with Johnson Controls for these campuses. The energy efficiency upgrades at all five schools will also “reduce the deferred maintenance backlog at these campuses by approximately $20 million,” according to a recent statement.

“With the implementation of Phase II, these five UH campuses will have reduced fossil fuel energy consumption by about 14 GWh annually (45 percent) and added about 13 GWh renewable energy generation,” said John Morton, vice president for community colleges at UH, in a recent statement. “We are proud to move the entire University of Hawaii System closer to its net-zero energy mandate, to celebrate UH Maui College’s achievement and to position the Oahu community college campuses within reach of 100 percent renewable energy generation.”

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Johnson Controls has inked an agreement to improve critical equipment, systems and infrastructure in Jones County School District’s three high schools in Ellisville in an effort to transform the environment, operation and energy efficiency of the facilities. The schools include Northeast Jones High, South Jones High and West Jones High, and the school district will leverage the guaranteed energy savings to fund the improvements. About $300,364 in savings is expected for the first year and more than $4.2 million in savings, over the life of the 12-year project.

“Jones County School District’s top priority is providing its students with the best education and learning environment possible,” said Brad Mason, account executive of Johnson Controls, in a statement. “Through this partnership, we’re pleased to help the district further this mission and enable improvements for years to come, and having a local, established partner like Howard Industries makes this project even more important to the county’s economy.”

The company’s Performance Infrastructure leaders and school district leaders partnered to assess and prioritize improvements including upgrading existing lighting with custom LED solutions, provided by Howard Industries, and replacing outdated energy management control systems.

Johnson Controls Infrastructure Projects Enabled by ESPC

The Jones County School District projects are enabled by a $2.79 million energy savings performance contract (ESPC) with Johnson Controls. Over the past three decades, Johnson Controls has implemented more than 3,000 ESPC projects across the nation. The company estimates that the combined utility savings on behalf of its clients is in the billions. This approach to implementing such projects helps publicly funded entities make capital improvements over protracted payback periods. The long-term benefits of this and similar arrangements are improved facility efficiency, occupant comfort, financial management and environmental protection. Moreover, energy usage data will be reported to the Mississippi Development Authority’s Energy and Natural Resources Division on a semi-annual basis.

“Johnson Controls’ ability to provide systems integration, implementation, maintenance and training, and to stay within our projected budget was the big factor in the district and the board’s decision to embark on this project,” said Tommy Parker, Jones County School District superintendent, in a statement. “This will be an asset not only to our teachers and staff, but also, more importantly, to our students; and the fact that Johnson Controls was able to partner with Howard Industries right here in Ellisville makes this project even more special.”

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ATLANTA — Atlanta-based Georgia Power awarded the Georgia Institute for Technology (Georgia Tech), also in Atlanta, with a $500,000 rebate check on July 14. The rebate is the largest ever issued through Georgia Power’s Commercial Energy Efficiency Program, and was given to Georgia Tech to mark the completion of its most recent effort to implement energy-efficiency upgrades at two facilities on campus. Georgia Power presented the rebate check to Georgia Tech at a special event at the Georgia Tech Environmental Biosystems Building.

Georgia Tech earned the rebate by completing various energy-efficiency upgrades that began in October 2015 and were completed in March of this year. The planning and design process for these upgrades began even earlier in June 2014, followed by an energy audit conducted by Johnson Controls (headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis.) in December 2014. The project had a budget of $7.7 million. Locally based RMF Engineering was the design engineer on the project, with multiple project committee and team members from Georgia Tech as part of the planning team.

The upgrades included upgrading water chillers that serve a large portion of the campus with North Slope Chillers, replacing existing motors with high-efficiency inverter-rated motors and conversions of condenser water pumps. Specifically, the project accomplished the following: RMF Engineering added a variable frequency drive (VFD) to one 2,000-ton chiller, converted four cooling tower fans to VFD drives, added 14 pumps with a VFD drive and replaced two 1,000-ton chillers with one 2,000-ton VFD chiller. Additionally, Georgia Tech received Georgia Power credit for a 3,000-ton VFD chiller that had been previously installed, which also impacted the amount of the rebate.

With the completion of these upgrades, Georgia Power estimates Georgia Tech will be able to save more than 16 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually. “Basically, the project was a chill water plant optimization scheme that allowed us to more efficiently make and distribute chilled water throughout the campus,” said Greg Spiro, P.E., CEM, senior design engineer for facilities management at Georgia Tech. “For example, by installing VFDs on pumps, chillers and support elements in the plant, we were able to provide more precise motor control, which greatly impacts energy usage.”

The primary objective for this project was to reduce the power consumed, per ton of cooling by reducing kilowatt used per ton (kw/ton) of campus chilled water production, according to Donald Alexander, P.E, RCDD, CEM, academic design professional for facilities management at Georgia Tech and project manager for the energy upgrades project. After Johnson Controls completed its audit in 2014, the Georgia Tech Committee evaluated the recommendations made by the company and decided what combination of measures were best.

“With a project and budget of this size, the development stage was a very important and intense portion of the initiative,” said Alexander. “There was significant negotiation of staying within budget parameters while also assuring that the required energy savings would be met.”

During both the planning and construction periods, the Georgia Tech Project Committee members met every two weeks to review progress and assess recommendations, according to Alexander. “The actual contracting process was a challenge for Georgia Tech, as performance contracting was new to the financial and legal teams of the Georgia Tech,” he said.

Alexander spent a significant amount of time and effort steering the project through the many phases of approval, added Spiro.

Georgia Power has awarded more than $44 million in rebates through the Commercial Energy Efficiency Program since the program started in 2011. The program includes educational resources, rebates and incentives available to all commercial customers such as school systems, universities, hospitals, museums and more.

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Should the district approve the move, LVDLCS would complete a variety of work on the soon-to-be-vacated space, adding new bathrooms, a kitchen and cafeteria to the existing School for the Arts building. Work would also include converting a theater into a gym and removing practice rooms to increase classroom sizes. Upon completion, the relocated school will contain 19 regular education classrooms, a dedicated area for learning support students and a section for English Language Learners.

However, in its efforts to relocate, the LVDLCS has encountered several legal roadblocks. For example, the building’s current lease states that the building owner is responsible for soliciting bids and hiring out construction work, which would be funded by the charter school. The school would be required to pay 100 percent of construction costs up front, after which it would receive a 50 percent rebate on rent.

Bethlehem Area School District Superintendent Joseph Roy, who has requested a legal review of this case, told Lehigh Valley Live that the charter school is using taxpayer dollars to pay for construction projects that haven’t been bid in compliance with state laws governing public school construction.

"It is skirting the law," Roy said of the school. "It may be doing that legally.”

As for LVDLCS’s defense, the charter school has agreed to comply with a legal review to make sure everything is being done according to regulations, announced school principal, Lisa Pluchinsky.

Providing the legal teams involved can agree on the lease language, the school’s relocation and expansion may soon be ready for a board vote, Roy said.

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The grants program, part of the Department of Education’s Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities program, aims to help charter schools meet their facility financing needs. Funds are provided on a competitive basis to public and nonprofit entities to improve the charter schools’ credit as a way to improve their access to school facility financing. LISC is the only grantee in this year’s competition.

The program aims to improve educational options for students and parents by targeting funds to areas with the greatest need for public school choice. Including this year’s award, the department has given out 31 grants totaling $2.3 billion to 19 organizations since 2002.

LISC is a four-time recipient of the grant, bringing its awards total to more than $36 million, which has leveraged more than $400 million in financing for 72 schools. It uses grant funds to help charter schools access financing needed to acquire, build, construct or renovate facilities.

“You cannot create a healthy, sustainable community without making sure families have access to a quality education for their children,” said the corporation’s president and CEO Michael Rubinger.

“Schools are fundamental. When they are deteriorating, crime-ridden and failing, it is almost impossible for students to succeed. Our goal is to support innovative alternatives that respond to local need and give kids the best chance to thrive and grow.”

This year’s grant will be used to create a two-strategy program, with a credit-enhanced fund to provide direct lending to charter schools or a charter school guaranty fund that directly credit enhances tax-exempt municipal bonds, mortgages, and leasehold improvement loans for charter school facilities.

“This grant will go a long way in helping to serve more children and families looking for educational options,” said Reena Bhatia, director of LISC’s Education Programs. “The difficult lending environment has severely impacted the availability of low-cost capital for charter facilities and our flexible resources can help alleviate some of those constraints.”

Currently, 5,300 public schools operate under charters and educate approximately 1.7 million children nationally, with more than 400,000 children on waiting lists. Lack of access to appropriate public facilities or to public funding for facilities continues to be a major obstacle for these school operators, Bhatia said.

Department officials said a high percentage of new charter schools report that inadequate facilities impeded the implementation of their charters.

“Unlike traditional local education agencies, charter schools generally lack the ability to issue general obligation bonds backed by property taxes, and they are often perceived to be credit risks by lenders,” officials said.

Bhatia said developing charter facilities could have a far-reaching impact on communities.

“In addition to the schools, it creates jobs, improves streetscapes and contributes to broader community revitalization efforts,” she said.

At the federal level, the U.S. House of Representatives will consider the Empowering Parents through Quality Charter Schools Act, HR 2218, an amendment of the charter school program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Sponsored by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), the legislation aims to help more students gain access to a “quality education,” by aiding in the development of high-performing charter schools.

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As an urban school, the design team was challenged to not only make each piece useful, but to also ensure that it was available for all 880 students every day.

Making the best use of the site to provide all students daily outdoor access required careful planning, officials said. An assortment of play structures designed to address a range of needs and abilities, a play field and running track, plus free-play areas make up the Renaissance "school yard."

The largest charter school project to be built in the Commonwealth to date, the design firm was responsible for a 15,000-square-foot addition and renovations to two buildings, including a 70,000-square-foot, historic timber and masonry mill building built in 1889 to house the school’s kindergarten through sixth grade program.

The structures occupy a six-acre industrial site and replace Boston Renaissance’s previous Park Square location — a 16-story high-rise building in downtown Boston that presented challenges to the school’s operations, according to Craig Engerman, chief operating officer at the school.

"There were no playgrounds for students, no parking for staff — the vertical structure presented logistical challenges for us," he said. "Getting students to classes, to lunch, and arrivals and dismissals in a vertical building is just difficult."

Students previously played games on the 25-foot-wide sidewalk outside the school, officials from the design firm said.

"We wanted a site no more than three stories, with play space for kids to go out and play and run and jump," Engerman said.

After conducting a feasibility study, the school’s board of trustees approved the purchase of the new Hyde Park site as well as a leaseback sale of the Park Square property, which allowed the school to operate while the new facility was renovated and expanded.

The high-rise space sold in 2008 and the new location opened in the fall of 2010 after construction ended in August 2010.

Engerman said there have been no issues at the new school.

"We have a beautiful facility," he said.

The school is divided into three age groups and houses most of the classrooms in the three-story mill building. Each of the age groups occupies a separate floor of the mill building.

The warehouse building, which has high ceilings and wide column spacing, provides large public and assembly spaces, including the gym, cafetorium, library, music classrooms and dance studios. The new addition contains an administration suite, support facilities and some of the Kinder classrooms.

Sustainable elements include the use of natural daylighting and an automated dimming system for artificial lights.

Pip Lewis, principal with HMFH, said the school’s priority for the play area was a safe, nurturing environment for the students — many of who come from underprivileged backgrounds.

The building sits right on the street, with a 10-foot-wide sidewalk, which required design officials to find a way to push the play areas to the sides of the property.

The architects designed a loop road around the building for buses and parents, pushed as far out to the exterior of the property as possible, surrounding by the parking lot.

Having all play areas inside the loop allows students to go directly from the building to play areas without crossing any streets.

The play areas include artificial turf from Field Turf in the play area and Controlled Products for the running track that, while expensive, allowed the fields to be used one hundred percent of the time without the need for grass maintenance, Lewis said.

The different grade levels are divided into different play areas, in addition to a daycare area for children of staff.

The general play area allows three classrooms full of kids at once.

An additional play area in the original design has not been developed due to an increase in expected enrollment for the year, requiring modular classrooms on the allotted space.

While the school intended to downsize from 1,300 students at its downtown location to 880 kids at the new facility, the enrollment has increased to 1,050 students. The school will develop the additional play area once the increased enrollment is dealt with, Lewis said.

The school also wanted a gymnasium and assembly space where they could seat the entire population of the school, which the firm initially thought they would have to build as a new structure — something the school couldn’t afford.

The architects found, however, that they could instead use the existing warehouse space to contain a cafeteria, assembly space and gym.

The school’s curriculum includes four nonacademic specialties for each student — athletics, music, dance and art — which meant the school needed two art rooms, two music rooms, two dance studios and two gymnasium stations into the older building.

In order to make the spaces work, the firm created a flexible area that can be divided into subspaces to configure into classrooms for multiple dance or gym classes to use at once using partitions.

The north wall of the gym also has an operable partition that opens up to the cafeteria, which allows for the full facility to accommodate about 1,000 people for assemblies and presentations.

“Using this kind of interconnected flexibility of these big spaces, we managed to get all the things in they needed in order to operate their programs,” Lewis said.

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