CS-v5 EAc4: Renewable Energy 1-4 points
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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To encourage and recognize the use of renewable energy to reduce environmental and economic impacts associated with fossil fuel energy use and increase the supply of new renewable energy within the electrical grid, fostering a just transition to a green economy.
Requirements
Platinum Requirements:
100% of base building energy use is from any combination of Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 renewable energy.
Option 1. Renewable Energy Supply or Procurement (1–4 points)
Supply or procure renewable energy meeting the renewable energy criteria referenced below. Points are rewarded according to Table 2.
Points documented for Tier 1, Tier 2, and/or Tier 3 renewable energy may be added together for a maximum of 5 points:
Core and Shell only
Points documented for Tier 1, Tier 2, and/or Tier 3 renewable energy may be added together for a maximum of 4 points, based on the percentage of total annual base building site energy use, where base building energy use is defined as the greater of the estimated site energy consumption from base building energy meters or 25% of the total estimated building energy use:
Table 2. Points for Renewable Energy Procurement for Core and Shell Projects
Points | Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | ||
Minimum Rated Capacity* | OR | Percent of Annual Base Building Site Energy | Percent of Annual Base Building Site Energy | Percent of Annual Base Building Site Energy | |
1 | A × 1 W/sq. ft. (A × 10.8 W/sq. m.) | OR | 15% | 35% | 100% |
2 | A × 2 W/sq. ft. (A × 21.6 W/sq. m.) | OR | 30% | 70% | 200% |
3 |
| 65% | 100% | ||
*A = sum of gross floor area of all floors up to the three largest floors.
Renewable Energy Criteria
Renewable energy classifications
TIER 1: ON-SITE RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION OR SOCIAL IMPACT PROJECT
The renewable generation equipment may be located:
- On the project site.
- On the campus on which a project is located.
- On the site of a social impact project, provided that the renewable power system is provided, installed, and commissioned at no cost to the social impact entity, that the ownership of the renewable power system is transferred to the social impact entity, and that the rights to the power provided be given to the social impact entity.
TIER 2: NEW OFF-SITE RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY
Off-site renewable electricity produced by new generation asset(s):
- Contracted to be operational within two years of building occupancy, OR
- Contracted no more than five years after commercial operations date
TIER 3: OFF-SITE RENEWABLE ENERGY
- Off-site renewable electricity that is Green-e® Energy certified or equivalent.
- Renewable fuels that are Green-e Renewable Fuels certified or equivalent.
Renewable energy contract length
- Contract length shall be 10 years or prorated across 10 years for shorter contract lengths.
Renewable energy environmental attributes
- Ownership: All environmental attributes—energy attribute certificates (EACs) or renewable energy certificates (RECs)—associated with renewable energy generation must be retired on behalf of the LEED project for the renewable energy procurement to contribute to credit achievement.
- Project energy source: Renewable electricity generation and EAC/REC procurement can only be applied to project electricity use or district energy use up to 100% of annual electricity plus district energy use. Renewable fuels can only be applied to project fuel use or district heat up to 100% of annual fuel plus district heat use.
Core and Shell only
Renewable electricity generation and EAC procurement can only be applied to project electricity use or district energy use up to 100% of total estimated building annual electricity plus district energy use. Renewable fuels can only be applied to project fuel use or district heat up to 100% of total estimated building annual fuel plus district heat use.
- Vintage: EACs credited to the project must be generated no earlier than 18 months before the LEED project’s initial application submission date.
- Location: Tier 2 and Tier 3 renewable assets must be in the same country or region where the LEED project is located.
- Tier 2 bulk purchase: Green-e Energy certification or equivalent is required for one-time purchase or annual purchase of EACs or renewable power totaling more than 100% of the annual electricity use for New Construction, or 100% of base building annual electricity use for Core and Shell.
AND/OR
Option 2. Renewable Energy Readiness (1 point) — Core and Shell Only
Design the project for renewable energy readiness. Document renewable energy readiness features in the project design and provide tenant guidelines indicating how tenants can leverage these features to install renewable energy capacity for their tenant space. Tenant guidelines shall include a copy of the construction documents or a comparable document indicating the information below. Projects shall either document solar readiness in accordance with the criteria below or an equivalent solar readiness standard, or document equivalent on-site renewable energy readiness for another qualifying renewable energy source.
SOLAR READINESS
Solar zone
A designated solar zone shall be included in the project design.
- Designate a dedicated solar zone area equal to at least 40% of the gross roof area.
- Conduct an analysis to determine the most appropriate location for optimal location of the solar zone, avoiding shading from trees, buildings, and so forth, and accounting for future construction that may result in shading.
- Perform a wind and load analysis and confirm that the roof or other structure encompassing the solar zone is designed to accommodate all mounting configurations identified in the tenant guidelines.
- Total area shall be comprised of areas with no dimension less than five feet and no less than 160 square feet.
- No obstruction, such as vents, chimneys, or roof-mounted equipment, shall be in the solar zone or planned for future installation in the solar zone.
- Any obstruction located on the roof or other part of the building that projects above a solar zone shall be located at least twice the distance, measured in the horizontal plane, of the height difference between the highest point of the obstruction and the horizontal projection of the nearest point of the solar zone, measured in the vertical plane. (Exceptions: projects located within 10 degrees of the earth’s equatorial plane, or any obstruction located north of all points of the solar zone in the northern hemisphere, or any obstruction located south of all points of the solar zone in the southern hemisphere.)
- All sections of the solar zone located on steep-sloped roofs shall have an azimuth range between 90 degrees and 300 degrees of true north.
- If the project is intended to include future mechanical or electrical equipment in or near the solar zone, tenant guidelines shall include a sample plan showing how the equipment can be installed to maintain the integrity of the solar zone.
Mounting considerations
- Identify the panel-mounting options most likely to be implemented in a future solar panel installation. Provide documentation confirming that the roof warranty is not affected by the future installation of solar panels. Install roof-penetrating mounts at the time of roof installation if analysis indicates roof-penetrating mounts are best-suited for the project application. Roof-penetrating mounts must be designed to limit thermal bridging and included in the envelope commissioning.
Interconnection pathways
- Construction documents shall indicate locations reserved for inverters and metering equipment, and the location of a pathway reserved for routing conduit from the solar zone to the point of interconnection with the electrical service. For projects with high SWH loads where there is the potential for the solar zone to be used for water heating, construction documents shall indicate a pathway for routing plumbing from the solar zone to the water heating system.
Electrical service
- The main electrical service panel shall have a minimum busbar rating of 200 amps.
- The main electrical service panel shall have a reserved space to allow for the installation of a double pole circuit breaker for a future solar electric installation. The reserved space shall be permanently marked as “For future solar electric.”
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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To encourage and recognize the use of renewable energy to reduce environmental and economic impacts associated with fossil fuel energy use and increase the supply of new renewable energy within the electrical grid, fostering a just transition to a green economy.
Requirements
Platinum Requirements:
100% of base building energy use is from any combination of Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 renewable energy.
Option 1. Renewable Energy Supply or Procurement (1–4 points)
Supply or procure renewable energy meeting the renewable energy criteria referenced below. Points are rewarded according to Table 2.
Points documented for Tier 1, Tier 2, and/or Tier 3 renewable energy may be added together for a maximum of 5 points:
Core and Shell only
Points documented for Tier 1, Tier 2, and/or Tier 3 renewable energy may be added together for a maximum of 4 points, based on the percentage of total annual base building site energy use, where base building energy use is defined as the greater of the estimated site energy consumption from base building energy meters or 25% of the total estimated building energy use:
Table 2. Points for Renewable Energy Procurement for Core and Shell Projects
Points | Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | ||
Minimum Rated Capacity* | OR | Percent of Annual Base Building Site Energy | Percent of Annual Base Building Site Energy | Percent of Annual Base Building Site Energy | |
1 | A × 1 W/sq. ft. (A × 10.8 W/sq. m.) | OR | 15% | 35% | 100% |
2 | A × 2 W/sq. ft. (A × 21.6 W/sq. m.) | OR | 30% | 70% | 200% |
3 |
| 65% | 100% | ||
*A = sum of gross floor area of all floors up to the three largest floors.
Renewable Energy Criteria
Renewable energy classifications
TIER 1: ON-SITE RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION OR SOCIAL IMPACT PROJECT
The renewable generation equipment may be located:
- On the project site.
- On the campus on which a project is located.
- On the site of a social impact project, provided that the renewable power system is provided, installed, and commissioned at no cost to the social impact entity, that the ownership of the renewable power system is transferred to the social impact entity, and that the rights to the power provided be given to the social impact entity.
TIER 2: NEW OFF-SITE RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY
Off-site renewable electricity produced by new generation asset(s):
- Contracted to be operational within two years of building occupancy, OR
- Contracted no more than five years after commercial operations date
TIER 3: OFF-SITE RENEWABLE ENERGY
- Off-site renewable electricity that is Green-e® Energy certified or equivalent.
- Renewable fuels that are Green-e Renewable Fuels certified or equivalent.
Renewable energy contract length
- Contract length shall be 10 years or prorated across 10 years for shorter contract lengths.
Renewable energy environmental attributes
- Ownership: All environmental attributes—energy attribute certificates (EACs) or renewable energy certificates (RECs)—associated with renewable energy generation must be retired on behalf of the LEED project for the renewable energy procurement to contribute to credit achievement.
- Project energy source: Renewable electricity generation and EAC/REC procurement can only be applied to project electricity use or district energy use up to 100% of annual electricity plus district energy use. Renewable fuels can only be applied to project fuel use or district heat up to 100% of annual fuel plus district heat use.
Core and Shell only
Renewable electricity generation and EAC procurement can only be applied to project electricity use or district energy use up to 100% of total estimated building annual electricity plus district energy use. Renewable fuels can only be applied to project fuel use or district heat up to 100% of total estimated building annual fuel plus district heat use.
- Vintage: EACs credited to the project must be generated no earlier than 18 months before the LEED project’s initial application submission date.
- Location: Tier 2 and Tier 3 renewable assets must be in the same country or region where the LEED project is located.
- Tier 2 bulk purchase: Green-e Energy certification or equivalent is required for one-time purchase or annual purchase of EACs or renewable power totaling more than 100% of the annual electricity use for New Construction, or 100% of base building annual electricity use for Core and Shell.
AND/OR
Option 2. Renewable Energy Readiness (1 point) — Core and Shell Only
Design the project for renewable energy readiness. Document renewable energy readiness features in the project design and provide tenant guidelines indicating how tenants can leverage these features to install renewable energy capacity for their tenant space. Tenant guidelines shall include a copy of the construction documents or a comparable document indicating the information below. Projects shall either document solar readiness in accordance with the criteria below or an equivalent solar readiness standard, or document equivalent on-site renewable energy readiness for another qualifying renewable energy source.
SOLAR READINESS
Solar zone
A designated solar zone shall be included in the project design.
- Designate a dedicated solar zone area equal to at least 40% of the gross roof area.
- Conduct an analysis to determine the most appropriate location for optimal location of the solar zone, avoiding shading from trees, buildings, and so forth, and accounting for future construction that may result in shading.
- Perform a wind and load analysis and confirm that the roof or other structure encompassing the solar zone is designed to accommodate all mounting configurations identified in the tenant guidelines.
- Total area shall be comprised of areas with no dimension less than five feet and no less than 160 square feet.
- No obstruction, such as vents, chimneys, or roof-mounted equipment, shall be in the solar zone or planned for future installation in the solar zone.
- Any obstruction located on the roof or other part of the building that projects above a solar zone shall be located at least twice the distance, measured in the horizontal plane, of the height difference between the highest point of the obstruction and the horizontal projection of the nearest point of the solar zone, measured in the vertical plane. (Exceptions: projects located within 10 degrees of the earth’s equatorial plane, or any obstruction located north of all points of the solar zone in the northern hemisphere, or any obstruction located south of all points of the solar zone in the southern hemisphere.)
- All sections of the solar zone located on steep-sloped roofs shall have an azimuth range between 90 degrees and 300 degrees of true north.
- If the project is intended to include future mechanical or electrical equipment in or near the solar zone, tenant guidelines shall include a sample plan showing how the equipment can be installed to maintain the integrity of the solar zone.
Mounting considerations
- Identify the panel-mounting options most likely to be implemented in a future solar panel installation. Provide documentation confirming that the roof warranty is not affected by the future installation of solar panels. Install roof-penetrating mounts at the time of roof installation if analysis indicates roof-penetrating mounts are best-suited for the project application. Roof-penetrating mounts must be designed to limit thermal bridging and included in the envelope commissioning.
Interconnection pathways
- Construction documents shall indicate locations reserved for inverters and metering equipment, and the location of a pathway reserved for routing conduit from the solar zone to the point of interconnection with the electrical service. For projects with high SWH loads where there is the potential for the solar zone to be used for water heating, construction documents shall indicate a pathway for routing plumbing from the solar zone to the water heating system.
Electrical service
- The main electrical service panel shall have a minimum busbar rating of 200 amps.
- The main electrical service panel shall have a reserved space to allow for the installation of a double pole circuit breaker for a future solar electric installation. The reserved space shall be permanently marked as “For future solar electric.”