Kerry Rabenold Pavilion about to become a net-zero energy building

06-29-2018

The new Kerry N. Rabenold Pavilion at the Ross Reserve has several ways to monitor energy production and use, including by each appliance. In May, it produced twice as much energy with the solar panels as the cabin and caretaker used. The excess feeds the Lindsey lab and other uses, or is sent back to the grid if not needed. By the anniversary of installation on July 28, we will have produced about 6 megawatt-hours of power, which is likely sufficient to cover the year's demand by the cabin, including heating and cooling.  In comparison, the average American home uses about 20MWh of total power. Overall, the new cabin has been energetically free in spite of a colder winter.  This week, we expanded the solar array, increasing the capacity to 8.4kW, so it can further support the rest of the Ross Reserve.  We are on track to get the building net-zero energy certified!