Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Reflecting Light and Shadow: Jay James, of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local 332, shows off the photovoltaic panels on the roof of the union's newly built headquarters in Willow Glen. It is the largest commercial solar-powered building in the western United States.
Electrical workers heat things up naturally with solar photovoltaics
WG union building powers up using energy from sun
By Moryt Milo
Although California's energy crisis has been put on the back burner, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local 332, 2125 Canoas Garden Ave. in Willow Glen, decided to parlay its electrical expertise into constructing a commercial building powered by solar energy.
The new International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers headquarters, completed in June 2001, is the largest commercial solar-powered building west of the Mississippi and a model in the use of solar photovoltaics, an emerging solar-energy technology.
The cost of installing the state-of-the-art system was high--$400,000--but California is rebating the union 40 percent, and once the system is fully operational, the building's monthly power bill--$2,500 per month--will be reduced by 75 percent, project manager and union member Jay James says.
The headquarters is 29,200 square feet and has a ribbon of windows surrounding the entire building. The placement of the windows was designed into the project to be both energy efficient and aesthetically pleasing, James says.
The union is very proud of its new building, he says.
"Our membership loves it, and neighbors in the surrounding Willow Glen community are very pleased with the building," James says. "We've always said we wanted to do something for the community, and this building is something we wanted to shared with the community."
The meeting hall can hold up to 400 people and has already been rented out for events and weddings, business manager Terry Tanner says.
Above the meeting hall is the building's main array of the photovoltaic panels. These panels will share roof space with four large skylights, scheduled for construction this December, that will be integrated with solar photovoltaic panels.
"It is not someone building a building and saying, 'Why don't I drop some panels on the roof?'" James says. "It is a design that is completely integrated into the project."
The building also has a large awning of passive solar panels--not wired to produce energy--that block sunlight from the entire south side of the building. The strategic placement of these panels means a reduction in cooling needs on the south side of the building, which saves energy for cooling other building sections.
The installation of the photovoltaic panels on the roof, which was completed in October, the photovoltaic skylights and solar awnings will generate an estimated 55 kilowatts of power, or 80 percent of the power needed to heat, cool and light the union meeting hall, conference and dispatch and administrative offices.
Now the organization just needs a target date for when to enable the building to come on-line. But that, James says, "is unclear because it is contingent on PG&E approving our application."
Former California laws calculated energy rates based on alternative energy systems generating up to 10 kilowatts of power. California changed its laws in April to increase the allowance up to 1 megawatt, but PG&E has not caught up with the changes and hasn't figured out how to adjust the rates, James says.
Because the union building will be on what is called a "net metering program"--a program that looks at the amount used and the amount returned to PG&E through efficient-energy use and then calculates the net wattage-- the union is caught in a waiting game of PG&E politics, James says.
These cost-saving measures were one of several items discussed when the union was defining the project. Supporting the environment and helping fellow union electricians were also identified as important goals.
"We know there is only so much fossil fuel available," James says. "We only have one Mother Earth, and we need to help preserve that and do what we can."
Preserving the environment led to the creation of a green building--using recycled materials-- and the union headquarters becoming a green building model for the city of San Jose.
Since its completion, 200 to 300 architects and engineers have walked through the building to see what's been done, and national media have featured the building.
The union members can also share the pride of their accomplishment with one another. The photovoltaic system was completely installed by Local 332 members. All the work was contracted out to members and "not done on a volunteer basis," James says.
It gave members the opportunity to learn how to install a photovoltaic system and develop new skills that allow them to guide others in the valley when future projects arise, James says.
With the new headquarters offering tours to hundreds, and local architects, engineers, contractors and government taking notice of their accomplishments, James is hopeful that people will no longer have "an image of the union as being an outsider."
It certainly has changed the way the general contractor Chuck Toeniskoetter views them, from thinking the costs in the design were prohibitive to calling union members "visionaries."
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
