SEPTEMBER 2, 2010 ISSUE
Hunger and Health Coalition Installs Solar Panels
The board of the Hunger and Health Coalition commemorates the installation of a photovoltaic system at their headquarters in Boone. Pictured from left are board member Guy Rippy, Executive Director Compton Fortuna, board member Jan Scurlock; Photovoltaic Project Manager Gernon Harvey; Board Chair Jean Brooks; and board members Ernie Armstrong, George Greer, Leslie Shavell, Lowell Thomas and Jean Williamson.This spring, the Hunger and Health Coalition (HHC) completed the installation of a photovoltaic (PV) system at its Boone headquarters. The project was the first to be permitted in the Town of Boone and was achieved through the collective effort of several local people and businesses.
The project was first conceived in April 2008 by Gernon Harvey, Grey Nelson, Matt Arrington and Caroline House as a class project in Dr. Dennis Scanlin’s Photovoltaic System Design and Construction course.
Harvey, whose wife volunteers at the HHC, became aware that the coalition had many of the necessary components to build a PV system, but no one knew what to do with them. So what began as a class project became a community service project as well.
“We benefited, and the Hunger Coalition benefited,” Harvey said.
Most of the labor and materials for the PV system were donated, so the project didn’t cost a great deal of money. Besides the four from Scanlin’s class, Brian Revell helped with wiring, Larry Greer Electric installed electrical components, Triplett & Coffey donated rebar for the panels’ foundation, Bradford Quarry donated crushed stone, and Loven Concrete donated concrete.
The system at the HHC consists of six panels that produce 170 watts each of electricity. That’s enough to power 10 100-watt light bulbs, so although the building will still need to buy electricity, the panels will offset some of the building’s power usage. Besides reducing the building’s carbon footprint, Harvey believes the panels will save the HHC about $30 a month on power bills, which will aid the coalition in its mission to help relieve poverty and hunger for families and individuals in the High Country.
The HHC’s solar system was the first project of its kind to receive a permit from the Town of Boone. (There are PV systems on the ASU campus, but these are outside of town jurisdiction.) Harvey, who acted as project manager, hopes this project has paved the way for other PV projects in town.
“The permitting process was a learning process both for us and for the Town of Boone,” he said.
The HHC’s executive director, Compton Fortuna, is thrilled about the successful installation and last week hosted a commemorative event to honor Harvey and present him with a certificate of appreciation. She hopes this project will continue to be a big success and that it will set a precedent among nonprofits, inspiring others to consider alternative energy options.
“I think the project is a great demonstration of how green technology can be implemented in nonprofit organizations and the community,” Fortuna said in an email.
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