Sonoma Clean Power (SCP), the public power provider for California’s Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, recently unveiled its new all-electric headquarters. Billed as the world’s first GridOptimal building, the project features an innovative microgrid and intends to go beyond net zero energy standards by reducing greenhouse gas emissions on the state’s electric grid.
Designed by EHDD Architecture, SCP’s new HQ is the initial pilot project for GridOptimal® Buildings Initiative, a joint program of the New Buildings Institute and the U.S. Green Building Council. The program aims to redefine how building design and operations can cost-effectively decarbonize the power grid and support a fully renewable electricity supply.
In Santa Rosa, Calif., the two-year renovation turned a 1979 structure into a building that enables decarbonization of the grid. The all-electric building is powered partially by an on-site solar array, with the rest coming from SCP’s completely renewable and locally generated EverGreen service. The building’s lights, HVAC, water heating, and 23 electric car chargers all draw from the grid only when California has plenty of clean power available. Typically, the battery system charges up midday, when there is abundant solar power. In the evening, the building can use that energy or place it back onto the grid, reducing the reliance on gas power plants.
“Our new headquarters is a ‘test case’ that’s working well, and we want people to know that this can be replicated — that clean electricity and decarbonization are attainable today. We also want people to understand that a 24/7 zero-emissions future for buildings is achievable and practical,” Geof Syphers, CEO, Sonoma Clean Power, said in a statement.
Design began in 2018, with construction completed in 2021. The microgrid installation was finished this year.
On the Building Team:
Owner and developer: Sonoma Clean Power
Design architect: EHDD Architecture
Architect of record: EHDD Architecture
MEP engineer: Guttmann & Blaevoet, with support from Point Energy Innovations
Structural engineer: ZFA Structural Engineers
General contractor: Midstate Construction
Construction manager: Sixth Dimension
Related Stories
| Nov 2, 2014
Top 10 LEED lessons learned from a green building veteran
M+W Group's David Gibney offers his top lessons learned from coordinating dozens of large LEED projects during the past 13 years.
| Oct 30, 2014
CannonDesign releases guide for specifying flooring in healthcare settings
The new report, "Flooring Applications in Healthcare Settings," compares and contrasts different flooring types in the context of parameters such as health and safety impact, design and operational issues, environmental considerations, economics, and product options.
| Oct 29, 2014
Better guidance for appraising green buildings is steadily emerging
The Appraisal Foundation is striving to improve appraisers’ understanding of green valuation.
| Oct 27, 2014
Report estimates 1.2 million people experience LEED-certified retail centers daily
The "LEED In Motion: Retail" report includes USGBC’s conceptualization of the future of retail, emphasizing the economic and social benefit of green building for retailers of all sizes and types.
| Oct 27, 2014
Top 10 green building products for 2015
Among the breakthrough products to make BuildingGreen's annual Top-10 Green Building Products list are halogen-free polyiso insulation and a high-flow-rate biofiltration system.
| Oct 21, 2014
Inside LEED v4: The view from the MEP engineering seats
Much of the spirited discussion around LEED v4 has been centered on the Materials & Resources Credit. At least one voice in the wilderness is shouting for greater attention to another huge change in LEED: the shift to ASHRAE 90.1-2010 as the new reference standard for Energy & Atmosphere prerequisites and credits.
| Oct 16, 2014
Perkins+Will white paper examines alternatives to flame retardant building materials
The white paper includes a list of 193 flame retardants, including 29 discovered in building and household products, 50 found in the indoor environment, and 33 in human blood, milk, and tissues.
| Oct 16, 2014
48 building professionals in 2014 class of LEED fellows
To be selected, LEED Fellows are nominated by their peers, undergo an extensive portfolio review, must have at least 10 years of experience in the green building industry and hold a LEED AP with specialty credential, among other requirements.
| Oct 15, 2014
Harvard launches ‘design-centric’ center for green buildings and cities
The impetus behind Harvard's Center for Green Buildings and Cities is what the design school’s dean, Mohsen Mostafavi, describes as a “rapidly urbanizing global economy,” in which cities are building new structures “on a massive scale.”
| Oct 14, 2014
USGBC awards individuals, firms for leading the way in sustainable construction
This year’s Leadership Award recipients include Christine Ervin, David Orr, Jim DeCesare, Lloyd Alter, Tom Paladino, The Near Westside Initiative, and Mars, Inc.