IT TAKES A SOLAR VILLAGE

In Business, January-February, 2005, Vol. 27, No. 1, p. 10

A culmination of decades of solar entrepreneurship results in a high-tech development in historic downtown Tucson, Arizona.

D.A. Barber

I'M having so much darn fun,” says 71-year old John Wesley Miller, chairman of The John Wesley Miller Companies. “With this project, I've been able to take everything I've ever learned - from the time I was a little kid until just last month at our national energy committee meeting - and utilize that in this Armory Park del Sol project.”
Located in the downtown core of Tucson, Arizona Armory Park del Sol finds its architectural inspiration in the surrounding nationally designated historic neighborhood of Armory Park. Using what was a vacant, unused lot, the project is incorporating sustainable high-density urban infill housing development techniques in an effort to preserve open spaces while featuring extensive walkways to encourage pedestrian traffic and reduce the negative effect of vehicle emissions on the environment.
“During my 50 years of building energy-efficient homes, I have dreamed of the opportunity to develop a community such as Armory Park del Sol,” says Miller. Miller wanted to build near downtown's urban cultural center and Armory Park del Sol is considered the kick-off residential housing component of the larger, $757 million Rio Nuevo project. Still, inner-city building is challenging enough because traditionally it costs more per square foot to build new homes than it does to rebuild existing property. But this infill is in a historic district.

HISTORIC MEETS HIGH-TECH
Armory Park - founded in 1880 - became the City of Tucson's first historic district in 1974 and, two years later, gained a listing as a National Register District. The area contains some 450 historic properties, including the Temple of Music and Art and the former Carnegie Library, now the Children's Museum. It was a challenge for Miller to build a sustainable infill project that would fit in with the area's Spanish -American, Mission Revival and California bungalow housing styles indigenous to the area - and keep it pedestrian-friendly.
“This area is a unique section of Tucson and we do not wish to distract from it. We want to celebrate and remember what made turn-of-the-century neighborhoods so family and community oriented,” says Miller. “It will be a major infill project, but the layout will promote a walker-friendly environment.”
But Miller got an earful from area residents when he proposed building 99 high-tech solar homes in this historic neighborhood in 1999. Neighbors feared the 14-acre project wouldn't blend in. Some worried about unsightly photovoltaic panels. “The Armory Park Historic Neighborhood was known as a very tough neighborhood to try to work in. But once the president and board members trusted what I really wanted to do, they just embraced it, particularly the utilization of solar electric,” says Miller.
Billed as the “neighborhood where historic meets high-tech”, the 14-acre innovative residential development features 99 single-family homes built with the attributes of energy efficiency, architecture that is compatible with the adjoining historic district, and a pedestrian-friendly environment.
To date, approximately 45 homes have been completed, which use an average of less than a dollar a day's worth of heating and cooling, through a collaboration with Tucson Electric Power Co. (TEP) and Global Solar Energy.
Says Miller: “This project demonstrates what can be accomplished when you have a community; a major utility company; and, an energy-concerned builder working together.”
The homes are incorporating many innovative technologies identified by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center. The two and three bedroom homes (some two-story) - ranging from $200,000 to $300,000 - have energy-saving appliances, solar water heating, thermal mass concrete walls with exterior insulation, double-glazed windows and photovoltaic solar panels that generate more than one-fourth of the home's energy load. The homes also include allergy-friendly central vacuum systems, five telecom ports, pre-wired fiber optics and security systems.
The homes come with a TEP three or five-year guarantee. During the construction process, TEP inspects each home to insure all components perform to TEP Guarantee requirements for energy efficiency and comfort. The Guarantee qualifies the homes for reduced residential electric rates and guarantees the heating and cooling portion of the annual bill. Homeowners are also eligible for state income tax credits.
Yet, while the average development of conventional homes have models ready in one year, it took Miller more than two years. He estimates his profit margin is “probably half” that of a typical residential development. Still, his commitment to downtown infill solar development overrides the low profit margin.

EVOLUTION OF A GREEN ENTREPRENEUR
Miller, who moved to Tucson with his family at age 16 in 1948, built his first house in 1953. Since he incorporated his own business in 1969, he has been building custom homes in every major subdivision in the the metro Tucson area. “Before that, I worked for my dad as a carpenter, as a laborer, and as vice president until I bought out all his properties in the early 1970's,” says Miller. And that was about the time he went “green,” getting involved with the University of Arizona's Environmental Research Laboratory, which was experimenting with solar electric and energy efficiency.
“I learned at the lab that masonry buildings with exterior insulation was the best way to go,” says Miller, “And the value and importance of thermal mass storage.” Miller became more involved with energy-efficient building and in 1973 helped develop a Pima County program advocating solar energy. But that was the early 1970's, and such efficiency “extras” were not a priority for those who wanted new homes built. “In the beginning, everyone was interested, but most people didn't want to spend the money,” notes Miller. “We did start doing a lot of solar hot water and collection of heat with rock-bed storage.”
The change for Miller - and Tucson - came in 1981 when he chaired the first Solar Parade of Homes in Tucson. In the late 1970's, the relatively conservative, Southern Arizona Home Builders Association actually had a solar energy committee, says Miller. “There were seven of us who actually built solar homes in 1981 and we had a very well attended parade of homes,” says Miller, who notes some 50,000 people toured the seven solar-powered residences - including then - Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt, who later became President Clinton's Secretary of Interior. “At the end of that parade of homes, we gave a private tour to Governor Babbitt and when we were; done he said: 'Well, John, this is great, what are you going to do for an encore?'”
Miller took some R&R in Mexico, and while lying on the beach the dream of building an entire “solar village,” now known as Civano evolved - a master-planned community that would take advantage of Tucson's abundant solar resources and create a community that would be energy efficient and would encourage a sense of connection between a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood and the unique and spectacular Sonoran Desert environment.
When Gov. Babbitt appointed him chairman of the Arizona Solar Energy Advisory Committee, he was able to push the Civano project along. After more meetings with Gov. Babbitt and the state real estate commissioner, Miller, and a group of solar advocates, were granted state trust land on the outskirts of Tucson for purchase for the project.
“It was a long process working with the city, all the different government agencies and lots of local involvement,” remembers Miller. Of the 818-acre, mixed-use community, only 30 percent of the total land is used for the buildings. Approximately 425 homes out of 550 planned have been occupied since the April, 1999 “grand opening.” “I think Civano was a big step forward,” says Miller. “We skipped a few steps up the solar ladder for Tucson with Civano. Later, Miller helped design the support buildings for Biosphere II and then moved away from Civano - which now involves several home builders - for other projects.
Today, John Wesley Miller is a national leader in energy conservation and green building practices. He has received several industry honors and awards for energy conservation and building quality. In April 2002, the National Association of Home Builders' Research Center awarded Miller “Green Advocate of the Year.” Among the numerous other building awards he's received also include the National Energy Award for building technology from the U.S. Department of Energy. SAHBA Builder of the Year, and the City of Tucson's Most Energy Efficient Builder, both in 2003. This past January, he received a Gold Medal Awards from DOE and the National Home Builders for Energy Value in Housing and was chosen as “Builder of the Year.”

THE ZERO ENERGY HOME
The next huge step for Tucson's role in solar building is taking place at Miller's Armory Park del Sol project, where an experimental zero-energy home (ZEH) was built that generates as much power as it uses. “When we say zero energy, we mean net zero energy. The photovoltaic or electric generating solar system actually saves power,” explains Miller. The home uses energy from the utility at night, then is credited for feeding more energy back into the grid than it uses during the day.
The home was funded as one of only four national building grants issued by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The project is intended as a national demonstration of the ZEH concept for builders nationwide and was unveiled in Armory Park during a special ceremony on April 22, 2003 - Earth Day.
“We figured this was an appropriate day to open our new low-energy house,” said Miller. About a month after its grand opening, the 1,700-square-foot, three-bedroom zero-energy home sold for about $380,000.
“The fact that the home sold so quickly illustrates that people are willing to make a commitment to saving energy,” Miller said. “Spec homes of this size in the same neighborhood usually sell in about three months. We hope that the mainstream home-building industry will recognize the strong consumer interest in attractive and energy-efficient housing.”
The concepts that brought the home's energy use down to zero didn't require any leaps of technology. Adding solar to Tucson's ZEH meant putting 30 photovoltaic panels on the roof, in addition to a solar heater. The result: Instead of consuming the nearly 10 kilowatt-hours per square foot per year that a typical all-electric new home in Tucson consumes, it is expected to consume no more energy than is produced by the solar energy systems, or about 4 kWh per square foot per year.
Other energy-efficient construction included double-glazed windows, low-energy appliances, a combination solar water and space heater, low-flow plumbing, and thick masonry walls that conserve energy through thermal mass storage. The construction methods exceed the Model Energy Code by 50 percent. From here, the project will be used to demonstrate the zero-energy home methods for other home builders, nationwide. The NAHB Research Center will continue to monitor energy use in the home in order to provide a more thorough evaluation of its performance.
Miller said he recently called Tucson Electric to find out if the home had run up a bill since its grand opening. “The woman said, 'Well, the bill is zero. Wait a minute. I better talk to my supervisor,'” Miller said. Two more potential buyers already have expressed interest in future zero-energy homes in the development.

THE BUILDING INDUSTRY'S FUTURE
Tucson was an easy choice for the program because of Miller's years of experience building energy-saving homes here, and because TEP has meters that will run backward and credit homeowners when they put power back into the grid. But in other parts of the country, the incentives for home builders to go green is still slow.
“I think it's been a slow, educational process. The incentives are mainly for the buyer, then that gives you incentives, as a builder, for buyers to buy,” says Miller. “You've got to say 'this is what I want to do, now why don't I try to do something a little better than the average. Why don't we, as an industry, try to make the entire industry better.'”
Miller, who believes green building is not just about energy, but about creating a better environment and quality of life, says he gets at least one or two calls every week for advice from new builders around the country who want to break into the green building field.
“Even if you just start with one simple thing, you've started,” says Miller. “And then you get hooked and you think about solar water, then solar electric, then insulation, better windows, and then you are looking at all the issues that make homes a quality product.”

ARIZONA'S PLACE IN THE SUN
MOVING away from the “petroleum economy” is very alive in Arizona, but it sometimes takes a bit of a push to get something like solar happening. In this case of Arizona's electric utility companies, Public Service Co. (APS) and Tucson Electric & Power (TEP), the state did the pushing with an alternative energy “portfolio standard” to be implemented from 2001 through 2012.
“It works its way up to 1.1 percent of energy sold at retail by the year 2007,” explains Tom Hansen, TEP's VP and technical advisor for alternative energy. “That can include wind if produced in Arizona, but 60 percent must come from solar electric generation.”
Arizona - through APS and TEP - is moving ahead with the use of photovoltaics (PV). PV's now power emergency phones in the Grand Canyon, lights at a Bullhead City marina, power on the Navajo Nation and remote cellular phone transmission sites and remote cabins throughout the state. Soon, Prescott will have one of the largest solar power plants in the world, generating enough electricity to power more than 3,000 homes. The APS Prescott plant is one of eight such projects, including Tempe, Flagstaff, Yuma, Scottsdale, Glendale and Gilbert. The plants produce almost 1.7 megawatts of electricity and APS has committed to spend $12 million a year on its solar program.
In December 2002, TEP activated the most recent additions to its record-setting solar array near Springerville, Arizona, increasing the system's energy output to 2.4 MW. The Springerville Generating Station Solar System, which includes 22,276 photovoltaic panels spread out over 28 acres, remains the most powerful grid-connected solar array operating in the Western Hemisphere. It produces enough energy to meet the annual electric needs of 420 Tucson homes. The system recently expanded to 4 MW, surpassing the size of what was the world's largest photovoltaic power plant, a 3.3 MW installation in Serre, Italy.
“Based on our resource, we have more energy per dollar spent,” says Hansen. “We believe we can continue to develop a leadership position in the world for solar.” Tucson-based, Global Solar Energy, Inc., a solar system designer and manufacturer of thin-film photovoltaic panels, served as project manager for the installation and oversees daily construction operations.
Global Solar was formed in May 1996 by UniSource Energy Corporation, whose other subsidiaries include TEP. Most recently, Global Solar has built cells with conversion efficiencies up to 12.5 percent, demonstrating the further potential of its technology and are the first company to manufacture highly efficient flexible thin-film solar material for commercial and military applications, including a variety of Coleman-branded camping products.
In August 2004, TEP expanded its SunShare solar subsidy program to cover even more of the cost of installing photovoltaic systems at a home or office. TEP customers who purchase, install, and maintain their own equipment could be eligible for a SunShare subsidy of up to $4,500 on a typical 1,500-watt solar power system.
“We hope this new, larger subsidy will encourage more customers to invest in solar power,” says Hansen. “Every customer who installs a grid-connected photovoltaic system brings us a step closer to that goal.” In addition to financial assistance from TEP, state tax benefits are available up to $1,000.
The Tucson-Pima County Metropolitan Energy Commission (MEC) was established in 1980 with the mission of “serving as a catalyst for the City of Tucson and Pima County to build a more sustainable energy future in the region.” It is funded jointly by the City of Tucson and Pima County. MEC developed the Sustainable Energy Standard (SES), a building energy code that is 50 percent more efficient than the 1995 Council of American Building Officials Model Energy Code.
Six Tucson schools will have solar energy systems installed over the next year to both save money on their electrical bills and teach students about renewable energy. The school district's utility bill runs about $18.5 million each year, second only to the cost of staff salaries. Tucson Electric Power designed and installed the 3-kilowatt-hour system and will maintain it as well.
TEP and the city also recently teamed up to install a 43.2 kW solar array at Tucson Water's Hayden/ Udall Water Treatment Facility. The city dedicated an array of 144 PV panels to help power the facility run pump motors and supply electricity to the site's water quality control lab and save the city $6,700 per year in electricity costs. The solar project cost $366,000 including equipment, planning and training. A $75,000 grant from the Solar Electric Power Association and the Department of Energy, along with in-kind contributions from TEP, dropped the city's net cost to about $240,000. That project received the December 2002 Solar Electric Power Association Award for Sustainable Business Practices. A month earlier, the Association recognized Tucson Electric Power Co. (TEP) and the city for “making Tucson a leader in solar communities.”

Copyright 2007, The JG Press, Inc.