Renewable Energy

Morrissey Engineering’s commitment to sustainable design includes the use of renewable energy. Our 4940 Building captures energy from renewable resources such as sunlight, wind and ground-source energy, all of which can be monitored in real time.

These renewable energy sources combined with other energy-reducing components have helped us achieve a 38 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to an average building of similar occupancy and geographic location. The 4940 Building has also attained an approximate 48 percent savings in utilities compared to an ASHRAE 90.1 baseline building.

Solar Electric

Our solar energy system includes a 5.5kW photovoltaic design based around the Sanyo HIP-195DA3 double sided photovoltaic module. This unique module is mounted at a 30 degree tilt facing south and collects sunlight like a standard module. A thin film coating of photovoltaic material on the reverse side also allows the module to receive radiance reflected from our highly reflective white membrane roof. The power produced from the reverse side is not reflected in the module’s 195 watt rating and can contribute as much as 30 percent in extra energy production. Four strings of seven modules are connected to an SMA SB7000 inverter that converters the DC voltage to AC voltage and safely interconnects to grid power. Energy that is produced is consumed by the building and directly offsets the electricity that would otherwise be imported from the electric grid.

Sensors located in close proximity to the PV modules provide information on ambient temperature, sunlight and wind speed three feet above the roof.

Geothermal

Morrissey Engineering supplements its heating and cooling through a ground source energy transfer system. Liquid is pumped through 80 boreholes each drilled to a depth of 100 feet. With this liquid, heat is removed from the office space and transferred to the ground in the summer. During the winter, heat from the earth is used to heat the office space. Four 2-inch circuits of 20 holes each comprise the loop system designed by Morrissey Engineering. This is served by 13 geothermal heat pumps ranging in size from 1.5 to four tons for a total installed capacity of 38 tons.