Team From Appalachian State University Present Results of Energy Survey to Grandfather Mountain Board of Directors

Last January Grandfather Mountain commissioned an energy survey from the Appalachian State University Department of Technology and this August they were back to present their findings to the Grandfather Mountain’s Board of Directors.

After reviewing Grandfather Mountain’s current energy consumption, a team of professors and graduate students led by Jeff Tiller and Dennis Scanlin proposed a number of measures to reduce Grandfather Mountain's energy consumption and in turn to reduce the volume of air pollutants emitted in the production of that energy.

To increase efficiency they recommended replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Other steps for increasing efficiency included installing night setbacks on the heating and cooling systems, installing occupancy and motion sensors to turn off lights when rooms are not in use, and replacing outdated freezers and water heaters with energy efficient appliances.

The ASU professors then recommended renewable energy sources.

One option would simply require writing a check because all North Carolinians can purchase "green power" from their utility companies (power generated from renewable sources such as solar, wind or methane). Every $4 invested pays for the production of 100 kilowatt hours of electricity from renewable sources. Contributions are tax deducible and businesses get volume discounts. For more details visit NCGreenPower.org or ask your power company about similar programs in your area.

Another option available to Grandfather Mountain is to produce green power on site. The ASU team recommended Photovoltaic solar panels because they are simple, quiet and low maintenance. The limitations are that the cells require a southern exposure and direct sunlight. PV cells are expensive on the front end, but incentives like tax credits and the fact that Grandfather can sell power back to the grid make the proposition much more attractive.

There are a variety of PV systems on the market, including systems that stand alone and charge a battery, systems that charge a battery but are also connected to the grid, or systems that feed all of the power directly to the grid with no battery involved. This last system is the type recommended for Grandfather because it is simple and cost the least.

Although many sites around the Mountain met the scientific requirements to support the solar panels, Grandfather’s Board of Directors insisted that the visual impact of the panels be included in the equation when evaluating each location. In the end they voted to investigate installing PV cells on the roof of the nature museum and on the roof of the fudge shop located uphill from the deer habitat. One additional site located in an area of the park that is not open to the public is also under evaluation.

In addition to Photovoltaic cells that generate electricity for selling to the grid, the ASU scientists recommended a solar thermal system which would use collectors on the roof of the Nature Museum to heat water that can then be used to heat the building itself. This system will take 4.5 years to pay for itself but it will reduce energy consumption at the Nature Museum by 20 percent.

Finally the team proposed that Grandfather Mountain take advantage of wind power as a source of renewable energy. Grandfather’s Board voted not to pursue wind energy at this time because all of the wind generators currently on the market would need to stand at least 30 feet above the tree line and would be visible from miles around. The Board did express its willingness to revisit the subject of wind power in a couple of years when the industry has had time to develop new, less visually-intrusive designs.

In the meantime, Grandfather's energy team has the green light to implement recommendations that increase efficiency and utilize Photovoltaic or solar-thermal technologies to generate green power. Once executed, these modifications could reduce Grandfather Mountain’s carbon footprint by 54 percent.

"We always strive to be leaders in responsible land management and conservation," said Grandfather Mountain President Crae Morton.  "However, the land, air, and water are not islands to themselves.  The ASU team is helping us improve our energy efficiency so we can act responsibly on all fronts." 

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