Grandfather Mountain ramps up energy-saving plans with ASU’s help
By Melanie Davis
melanie@highcountrymedia.net

Grandfather Mountain is going green.

Work is currently underway to decrease the energy consumption of the Avery County attraction.

In January, the park’s board of directors commissioned an energy survey by the Appalachian State University Department of Technology. The survey took an inventory of energy consumption and proposed specific solutions for Grandfather Mountain’s green initiative.

The team of professors and graduate students led by Jeff Tiller and Dennis Scanlin presented their findings to the board in August.

Grandfather Mountain president Crae Morton said the team presented dozens of ways to improve the energy efficiency of the park. Several steps have already been taken, with many more in design phases and under construction.

“By becoming more efficient, we have the opportunity to show our visitors how readily available products are,” Morton said.

The first steps in the process were quick and easy solutions, such as implementing a recycling program with receptacles placed throughout the park. The restaurant now uses biodegradable products to serve food.

Over the next few months, the park will install nighttime setbacks on the heating and cooling systems, occupancy and motion sensors to turn off lights when rooms are not in use, replace outdated freezers, water heaters and other appliances with more energy efficient models, and installing a slow moving fan to push warm air back toward the floor for heating efficiency.

The largest project for the winter of 2007, however, is the installation of solar panels. The panels will allow Grandfather Mountain to produce some renewable energy on site.

The photovoltaic cells are expensive up front, but the park will be able to sell power back to the grid, and save on purchasing power. While there are a variety of PV systems on the market, Grandfather Mountain has chosen a system that uses an inverter that converts the solar energy to usable power and feeds the power directly to the grid. Other options included systems that charged a battery to be used as a power source. The inverter system is said to be the simplest and the most cost effective.

The only restriction of PV solar panels, is that they require direct, south-facing sun exposure. The board of directors insisted the visual impact of the panels be included in the equation when choosing a site for panel placement.

A suitable south-facing location was found in an area restricted to park visitors. A field adjacent to the animal habitat, near the nature museum, will be used to kick off the project.

The land cannot be used for any other purpose, as it is home to the septic tanks of the museum. An inspector reviewed the proposal and approved the panels to share the field.

A 7-kilowatt system is currently under construction with a projected completion date in December. The panels will be connected to the power grid before the Christmas holiday. The racks to hold the panels and a building to house the inverter system are currently under construction. The panels will arrive early in December. The PV panels will provide energy for the nature museum.

This initial construction is only the beginning for green-energy production on site. The 7-kilowatt system will be expanded over the next five to 10 years. The field will allow Grandfather Mountain to increase up to a 54-kilowatt system, which would make it the largest solar energy production site in the state.

Once completed, the ASU scientists predict these modifications could reduce the park’s environmental footprint, including carbon consumption and the resulting air pollution, by up to 54 percent.

Fudge Factor
A new fudge shop is currently in the design phase and will boast additional solar panels on the roof of the new building with a goal of 100 percent sustainability. Morton said the board hopes the new fudge shop would be able to run entirely off the grid. He added, the plan could serve as a learning tool of renewable energy for visitors to the park.

Another recommendation of the ASU team was for Grandfather Mountain to take advantage of wind power as a source of renewable energy. The board of directors voted not to pursue it since current wind generators stand at least 30 feet above the tree line and would be visible for miles. The board did express a willingness to revisit the possibility of wind power in future, after the industry has time to develop less visually intrusive designs.

“We try to be leaders in responsible land stewardship, and land management is one part of a whole. We are improving our energy efficiency so we can act responsibly on all fronts,” Morton said.