Relevant

Lancaster:  On Friday, October 23, 2009 at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, 750 E. King St. in Lancaster, the Center of Excellence in Renewable Energy sponsored "A Conversation between Code Officials and the Construction Industry around Renewable Energy".

Overall, the goals of this program was to define what the Uniform Construction Code says about renewable energy, how local code and zoning enforcement officials have been interpreting the Code, the effect of local ordinances and interpretations on the industry, and ways to work together to overcome the difficulties that these rules cause for developers, contractors, and installers. Solar, geothermal, and wind were the primary foci of the conversation.  

Commissioner Scott Martin and William Griscom, President of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, welcomed attendees.  Terry Kile, Chair of the Steering Committee of the Center and Vice-President of Sales and Marketing at Horst Construction, outlined the program for the morning and moved the agenda into the first panel session on "The Market" (click here to see the opening information).  Michael Newman from Worley and Obetz presented an overview of the solar industry (click here to download this presentation) followed by Fred Umbele from Creative Energy who outlined details of geothermal systems.  Vince Youndt from Vertex Mechanical further commented on geothermal applications.

In the next panel entitled "The Challenges" and chaired by Tom Eldon of United Electric Supply), William Sutton from Wohlsen Construction used several projects in the region as case examples of the challenges faced by companies involved in commercial construction.  Elam Beiler and Dave Miller from Advanced Solar Industries; Randy Hess from Town and Country Realty; and Steve Mellinger from Blue Moon Enterprises discussed residential applications.  Considerable discussion ensued over issues such as whether roof loads from solar units are similar to a second set of shingles in the context of a discussion about additional engineering that code officials sometimes require.  Other issues identified included the way additional requirements and expense sometimes make small project not viable, the inconsistency of requirements from municipality to municipality, the need to enforce the Code as it is, new codes and standards that are in the offing including the International Green Building Code and the Residential Green Building Standard, the phenomenon of residential green being more driven by the industry than consumers, the rapid change that technology is bringing to the industry, and the need for attitudes to keep pace with the change.

James Cowhey, Director of the Lancaster County Planning Commission chaired the final session, entitled "The (Possible) Solutions".  Andrew Bowman, a plannning staff person from Manheim Township, opened the panel with a presentation on the role of code enforcement and an enumeration of what the current Code says, if anything, about renewable energy installations (click here to download the presentation).  Maureen Guttman, an architect with the Governor's Green Government Council; Jon Balson with the PA Department of Labor and Industry; and William McCarty, an attorney at Hartman, Underhill, and Brubaker as well as Manheim Township Solicitor further discussed the issue and suggested some action steps that could move the issues ahead.

• Develop a listing of local ordinances on www.LancasterCountyRenewableEnergy.com so that the industry can keep tabs on the landscape;
• Research and post some model ordinances that come from the County, the State, and across the country for reference;
• Meet with the local chapter of the code enforcement folks to talk in more depth about the issues;
• Together comment on the proposed International Green Building Code and the Residential Building Standard;
• In the spring, sponsor a half-day Field Day to demonstrate various renewable energy installations

If you are interested in being on the mailing list to receive information as it develops, contact Scott Sheely at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Lancaster:  In 2008, the Lancaster County Planning Commission received a grant from the Department of Environmental Protection Energy Harvest Fund. The goal of this project is to demonstrate the many benefits of roof greening while developing the capacity of local businesses to respond to increased demand for this innovative technology.  The project is co-sponsored by Millersville University, Lancaster Environmental Center, the Lancaster County Career and Technology Center, the Lancaster County Conservation District, Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, Sierra Club, Susquehanna Sustainable Business Network, and the Center of Excellence in Renewable Energy.

For more information on the  Lancaster County Roof Greening Project, click here.

The EPA has awarded the Chester County Solid Waste Authority for a 13 mile pipeline laid that transports methane gas generated in the Lanchester Landfill to several businesses in the area. Methane gas is naturally created during the decomposition stage of the landfill's wastes. This gas eliminates the need for roughly 20,000 gallons of oil per day and is a completely green and renewable source of energy. This project was done by Granger Energy who has been involved in similar energy projects in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Alabama, Utah, and Pennsylvania. For the full story click here.

Thaddeus Steven's College of Technology will be offering three more courses in their Building Energy Technology program this fall. The courses available include Green Building Fundamentals: Basic Sustainable Design and Operation, Residential Building Energy and Environmental Systems, and BPI Home Performance Energy Evaluations. Through a state grant Thaddeus Steven's College is offering these programs free of charge on a first come first serve basis.