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Federal renewable energy mandate prompts retrofits

Energy Efficiency

Federal renewable energy mandate prompts retrofits

Agencies must get 30% of electricity from renewables by 2025


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | September 25, 2015

Photovoltaic array on top of the Forrestal Building in Washington, D.C.

An executive order from President Barack Obama requires federal agencies to get at least 30% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

To meet this mandate, agencies are considering retrofitting buildings including, in some cases, the restoration of the original interior plans and the addition of PVs. Many buildings constructed before 1940 were built with daylighting and natural ventilation. 

Over the years, the interior of those historic buildings may have been divided into private offices. Agencies could restore those spaces to their original look, thereby returning daylight.

Many federal buildings’ rooftops will likely be outfitted with solar panels. Some structures will require roof replacement as part of solar projects. Some will also require electrical service upgrades.

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