King + King’s new solar carport will power firm’s entire building

SYRACUSE — King + King Architects LLP is using a new $650,000 solar carport that is also generating electricity for the firm’s 58-person office building at 358 W. Jefferson St. in Syracuse and adjacent tenant space on the Near West Side.

It is using “advanced” photovoltaic-technology to generate the power, the firm said.

“The biggest reason is to allow us to generate 95 to 100 percent of our energy needs on site,” says Kirk Narburgh, managing partner at King + King, when asked about the purpose behind the project. He spoke with CNYBJ on Dec. 18.

The carport will accommodate about 75 vehicles. Taitem Engineering, PC of Ithaca built the structure. 

“Basically [Taitem] designed the system and made sure that all of the energy goals were met and did all of the calculations and interfaced with National Grid,” says Narburgh. 

Irish-Millar Construction Inc. of Syracuse handled the foundation work.

Crews finished building the carport and installing the solar panels on Dec. 15. National Grid signed off on the project on Dec. 19, he adds. 

The King + King solar carport is a result of several years of planning with the assistance of a number of key local and regional partners, including National Grid and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which provided $91,500 from NY-Sun for the project, Narburgh explained. 

“This project has been part of the King + King’s vision since we designed our Near West Side office building 10 years ago. It took lots of persistence, team work and collaboration along with a core belief by us and our partners that it was possible,” Pete King, the firm’s partner-in-charge, said in a company news release. 

Other organizations involved in the project include San Jose, California–based SunPower Corp.; White Plains, New York–based CleanView Capital; and the City of Syracuse.

King + King is leasing the solar canopy from CleanView Capital for a period of seven to nine years, which Narburgh says “basically offsets the cost of the construction.”

“We’re basically being able to pay for that lease arrangement over that period of time from the savings for generating our own electricity,” he notes. 

CleanView takes advantage of the federal tax credits and NYSERDA grants for these solar installations, which then becomes part of the lease agreement created for the program, he adds.

The structure will be the “first of its kind in Syracuse,” King + King contends.

“We did a bunch of research and we can’t find anything in Upstate, actually, that’s of this same type of installation,” says Narburgh. 

King + King Architects, the oldest architectural firm in New York state and the third oldest in the country, specializes in architectural design for higher education, K-12, health care, and community organizations “with a focus on sustainable design.” 

About the carport

The solar canopy will have an array of 540 solar modules that are expected to produce up to about 300 kilowatt-hours of energy annually. 

The electricity that the solar carport generates will be fed directly into King + King’s office building at 358 W. Jefferson St. in Syracuse, providing about 90 percent to 95 percent of the electrical power needs at the office building. 

And with “a little attention to energy conservation by staff and tenants,” the firm’s goal to be “net zero” is “now within reach” as it anticipates producing on-site all the electrical energy consumed each year.

Solar canopies are “growing in popularity” because they offer companies a variety of practical and energy-efficient “advantages,” according to Lou Vogel, president of Taitem Engineering.

Beyond generating “clean, efficient energy,” the covered parking areas provide staff and visitors protection from the elements and lower parking-lot maintenance costs. 

“There are lots of open parking lots throughout our [Central New York] cities and we’ve already [begun] hearing from people who want to learn from the King + King project as they explore developing their own solar carports,” Vogel contended.          

SYRACUSE — King + King Architects LLP is using a new $650,000 solar carport that is also generating electricity for the firm’s 58-person office building at 358 W. Jefferson St. in Syracuse and adjacent tenant space on the Near West Side.

It is using “advanced” photovoltaic-technology to generate the power, the firm said.

“The biggest reason is to allow us to generate 95 to 100 percent of our energy needs on site,” says Kirk Narburgh, managing partner at King + King, when asked about the purpose behind the project. He spoke with CNYBJ on Dec. 18.

The carport will accommodate about 75 vehicles. Taitem Engineering, PC of Ithaca built the structure. 

“Basically [Taitem] designed the system and made sure that all of the energy goals were met and did all of the calculations and interfaced with National Grid,” says Narburgh. 

Irish-Millar Construction Inc. of Syracuse handled the foundation work.

Crews finished building the carport and installing the solar panels on Dec. 15. National Grid signed off on the project on Dec. 19, he adds. 

The King + King solar carport is a result of several years of planning with the assistance of a number of key local and regional partners, including National Grid and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which provided $91,500 from NY-Sun for the project, Narburgh explained. 

“This project has been part of the King + King’s vision since we designed our Near West Side office building 10 years ago. It took lots of persistence, team work and collaboration along with a core belief by us and our partners that it was possible,” Pete King, the firm’s partner-in-charge, said in a company news release. 

Other organizations involved in the project include San Jose, California–based SunPower Corp.; White Plains, New York–based CleanView Capital; and the City of Syracuse.

King + King is leasing the solar canopy from CleanView Capital for a period of seven to nine years, which Narburgh says “basically offsets the cost of the construction.”

“We’re basically being able to pay for that lease arrangement over that period of time from the savings for generating our own electricity,” he notes. 

CleanView takes advantage of the federal tax credits and NYSERDA grants for these solar installations, which then becomes part of the lease agreement created for the program, he adds.

The structure will be the “first of its kind in Syracuse,” King + King contends.

“We did a bunch of research and we can’t find anything in Upstate, actually, that’s of this same type of installation,” says Narburgh. 

King + King Architects, the oldest architectural firm in New York state and the third oldest in the country, specializes in architectural design for higher education, K-12, health care, and community organizations “with a focus on sustainable design.” 

About the carport

The solar canopy will have an array of 540 solar modules that are expected to produce up to about 300 kilowatt-hours of energy annually. 

The electricity that the solar carport generates will be fed directly into King + King’s office building at 358 W. Jefferson St. in Syracuse, providing about 90 percent to 95 percent of the electrical power needs at the office building. 

And with “a little attention to energy conservation by staff and tenants,” the firm’s goal to be “net zero” is “now within reach” as it anticipates producing on-site all the electrical energy consumed each year.

Solar canopies are “growing in popularity” because they offer companies a variety of practical and energy-efficient “advantages,” according to Lou Vogel, president of Taitem Engineering.

Beyond generating “clean, efficient energy,” the covered parking areas provide staff and visitors protection from the elements and lower parking-lot maintenance costs. 

“There are lots of open parking lots throughout our [Central New York] cities and we’ve already [begun] hearing from people who want to learn from the King + King project as they explore developing their own solar carports,” Vogel contended.