Location

The Clay Center is pleased to participate in the annual event National Solar Tours and Green Buildings Open House on the first Saturday of October. 

Members of the general public are welcome to attend between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Ample free parking near the building. Children are welcome but no pets are permitted on the property. Light refreshments will be served.

The Clay Center Observatory will also be open for tours. Solar telescopes will be available, weather permitting. Staff from the Clay Center will give on-going presentations and tours.

General Info:

Type of Building: School - 5-story science center
Green Building Features: 5.4 kW Photovoltaics; 1.0 kW Wind Generator
Grid tied: Examples of both grid-tied and off-grid
Designer: Solar Works, Montpelier, VT
Builder: C.E.Floyd, Bedford, MA
Style: Roof mount
Year Built: 2002

The alternative energy system consists of an integrated solar and wind system that is designed foremost as an educational resource and secondarily as a source of nonpolluting, renewable energy for the science center. The system is mounted on the 5th floor roof deck of the Clay Center for Science and Technology, behind the astronomy observatory.

The 5.4 kW solar array consists of eight rack-mounted photovoltaic modules made by ASE Americas of Billerica, MA. The 1kW wind turbine, manufactured by Bergey Windpower of Oklahoma, is mounted on a 20-foot lattice tower of the roof deck. Sunny Boy inverters and Heliotronics monitoring equipment are visible and located nearby.

The location of equipment provides a great opportunity for visitors to get out on the roof deck and see solar and wind technologies up close (HP accessible). There is a kiosk where visitors can explore data recorded by a Heliotronics Data Acquisition System.

For more information about the Clay Center's Solar and Wind Energy Systems, visit the Solar/Wind section of our web site.