AVENUES TO ENCOURAGE BUILDING INTEGRATED PHOTOVOLTAIC INSTALLATIONS IN NEW YORK CITY

摘要

New York City is experiencing an unprecedented construction boom. With additional projects in the pipeline ? such as the rebuilding of the World Trade Center and projects proposed as part of the NYC?s Olympic Bid ? this is a unique time to look at how the use of Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) systems may impact the City?s future skyline. One of the main drivers attributed to the growing interest in BIPV systems is NYC?s challenge to meet growing peak electricity requirements. NYC is an electric ?load pocket?. It is geographically isolated ? consisting of 3 islands and a peninsula ? yet it has a peak demand of well over 10,000 MW. To maintain voltage support and reliability standards, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), which manages NY State?s bulk power transmission system and wholesale power markets, has determined that NYC must generate 80% of its electric power requirements from within the 5 boroughs that make up the city. However, power plant siting has generally become more difficult and this is especially true in NYC, where real estate options are constrained, real estate values are high and community values overlap. In addition to the challenge of power supply, NYC is consistently in violation of federal air quality regulations. Finally, NYC?s electricity infrastructure is part of the post-9/11 security framework. As a result, forward-thinking planners have embraced the use of clean technology for on-site power generation. BIPV has been leading the way in this forum. The focus of this paper is use altPOWER?s BIPV project experience in NYC to describe the avenues that have encouraged BIPV in NYS. We discuss the role of the Green Guidelines adopted by Battery Park City Authority (BPCA), local codes, state and federal tax credits and incentive funds. Finally, altPOWER shares its experience with and advancements in BIPV technology that have resulted from these and other projects. Included in this portfolio of projects are 6 prominent buildings in Manhattan and 3 buildings in Brooklyn. Five of the Manhattan projects are in Battery Park City; The Solaire a 27 story residential tower, TriBeCa Green a 25 story residential tower, The Tower Residence a 37 story residential tower at site 2a and the new Goldman Sachs corporate headquarters, a proposed 65 story commercial office tower for the financial services company. The Museum of Jewish Heritage an 82,000 square foot performance and exhibit space is located just south of Battery Park City on Manhattan?s southern tip. The Helena is a 40 story residential tower located on Manhattan?s upper west side.