Location
Carkeek Park ELC
950 NW Carkeek Park Road, Seattle
Startup
May 2003
ELC Hours
Mon - Sat
10am to 4pm
ELC Info
206.684.0877
Electricity Generation
· 3.6 kilowatts peak DC capacity
· 3400 kWh per year - estimated
Solar Equipment
· (36) AstroPower 100 watt mono-crystalline modules (18 each on poles and roof)
· (2) SMA Sunny Boy 1800 watt, 120 VAC inverters
· Cost: $19,747
Project Team
· Seattle City Light
· Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation
· WSU Northwest Solar Center
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Solar Project - Carkeek Park
Environmental Learning Center
Green Power Program |
Business Sign-up |
Residential Sign-up |
Green Power Accomplishments
Project Summary
Carkeek Park is Seattle's premier spot to watch spawning salmon. Every fall from mid-October to mid-December, hundreds of Coho and Chum return to creeks that weave through this urban oasis just off NW 110th Street.
Another notable attraction is City Light's solar project, funded by City Light customers' generous contributions to Seattle Green Power. It generates roughly half the electricity for Carkeek's Environmental Learning Center (ELC), lighting on the grounds, and other needs. At times, the utility meter can be seen spinning backwards.
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New Environmental Learning Center.
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Green power at Carkeek Park.
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City Naturalist Steve Gay explains the park's goal is to replicate natural processes of the surrounding forest. For example, plants contain molecules that convert photons to energy very efficiently, just like solar cells.
"Our facilities are a cookie cutter of how nature works," he says.
Carkeek boasts many other energy-efficient and sustainability features including a highly-insulated building envelope, intelligent lighting, and natural ventilation; rooftop rainwater harvest for flushing toilets and managing storm water; and salmon-friendly landscaping - drought-tolerant, native species and increased storm water infiltration.
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The ELC serves as a model for resource efficiency and sustainable building, and has earned a U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) Gold rating, the first in Seattle. The Center provides space for environmental education activities and community gatherings.
For more information about Carkeek Park, visit their web site: http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/parkspaces/carkeek.htm
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Parks Project Manager Dan Johnson and Architect Geordie Selkirk with solar inverters.
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Solar Electricity Generation at Carkeek Park
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Other Solar Projects:
Ballard High School |
Ballard Library and Neighborhood Sevice Center |
Bertschi School |
Bradner Gardens Park - Community Building |
Carkeek Park - Environmental Learning Center |
Greenwood Elementary School |
Hutchinson Center Yale Building |
Meridian Park Elementary School |
Orca Elementary School |
Pathfinder Elementary School |
Seattle Center - McCaw Performance Hall |
Seattle Federal Courthouse |
Seattle University Student Center |
Spruce Street School |
UW Center for Urban Horticulture - Merrill Hall |
UW Mechanical Engineering Building |
Washington Middle School |
Woodland Park Zoo - Family Farm Discovery Barn
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Green Power Options |
Customer Generation |
Accomplishments
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