Newton South High School
Project Details:
Rooftop solar (PV) system installation for Newton South High School, providing renewable-energy for this progressive Boston-area school system.
Newton South High School
Newton, MA
Newton South High School
Archives: Projects
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Carlson Orchards
Carlson Orchards
Project Details:
Lighthouse Electrical completed Massachusetts largest agricultural solar installation, a 220kW PV design-build project at Carlson Orchards in Harvard, MA in August 2010. The ground-mount solar array, comprised of 1,060 solar panels, which cover approximately two acres of the orchard, are tied in to two solar inverters. The PV system generates approximately 70% of the annual energy usage of the orchard, largely for refrigeration units used to chill and preserve harvested apples. Carlson Orchards, New England’s largest apple cider, saves an estimated $40,000 annually through the renewable energy installation.
Unique Project Challenge: The solar array is situated on contoured terrain, necessitating the design of a racking system with variable length legs to yield a level installation, maximizing each solar panel’s electrical potential. In addition, it was important to preserve the contour of the land so as to not disrupt the natural setting of the orchard. Lighthouse took great care in designing the array into smaller sub-arrays that fit into the orchard’s existing topography. Three-dimensional terrain maps and a model of the array were utilized in the system design.
Carlson Orchards – Solar in Harvard, MA
Boston University – Laboratory Fit-up & Substation
Boston University – Laboratory Fit-up & Substation
Project Details:
Boston University was in the midst of expanding their lab settings, with eight (8) new labs requiring electrical fit-up. Lighthouse met the complex fit-up requirements, installing various types of sophisticated lab equipment. In addition, the project entailed Lighthouse’s installation of a 13.8kV substation, with step-down capabilities, on the roof of the building to provide power to the new labs. The project also required a new electrical room build-out, housed with associated distribution equipment which integrates the new labs and the substation. Lighthouse’s contract included all electrical work for the project, as well as the purchase and installation of the substation. In the early project phase, the electrical crew lifted the substation to the high-rise facility’s roof, where it was secured in place. At that point, Lighthouse began the heavy electrical work, wiring all the systems together.
Boston University – Laboratories in Boston, MA
Completion Date:
December 2012
675 Massachusetts Avenue – Generator
675 Massachusetts Avenue – Generator
Project Details:
675 Massachusetts Avenue, a high-rise office building in Cambridge, required the installation of an emergency power system. Lighthouse was engaged to purchase and install the emergency generator and wire the building for its backup power distribution. The scope included the transport and rigging of the generator, positioning it on an equipment pad at the rear of the building. Lighthouse met logistical challenges that the tight site presented, as well as navigation through the narrow roads of Cambridge with a large generator. Inside the building, Lighthouse installed MI cable runs from the basement up through all floors of the building, providing the facility with emergency power.
Unique Project Challenge: The MI cable runs presented its own set of challenges, as it is difficult to bend and very heavy. A sizable and experienced electrical crew planned and completed the task and installation in a timely manner successfully providing 675 Massachusetts Avenue with its emergency power system.
675 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
Completion Date:
January 2014
