Renewable Energy Technologies

In partnership with Rochester Public Utilities (RPU), the Cascade Meadow site includes several key renewable energy technologies. These include:

Solar Photo-Voltaic

Cascade Meadow features three photo-voltaic arrays, all purchased, installed, and maintained by RPU, with each demonstrating a different technology.

  • PV Station 1 showcases “thin film” solar cell technology, and is mounted on a rack system that tracks the sun as it moves across the sky.
  • PV Station 2 also tracks the sun, but uses a more common “polycrystalline” solar cell technology.
  • PV Station 3 has polycrystalline solar cells like Station 2, but rather than tracking the sun, the array is mounted on a rack that will be adjusted based on the season (the angle of the sun).

Find more information on RPU's solar rebate program.

For more information on how photo-voltaic panels convert sunlight into electricity, check out the U.S. Department of Energy’s photo-voltaic basics page.

Explore MN Department of Commerce's Division of Energy Resources Rebates & Credits page.

Wind

RPU also purchased the two wind power generation technologies at Cascade Meadow- a more common “horizontal axis” wind turbine, as well as a “vertical axis” wind turbine. The horizontal turbine is mounted on a 100 foot pole to better access the more consistent winds high above the ground. It is expected to generate between 15,000 and 18,000 kiloWatt hours (kWh) of electricity every year- which equals about what two average homes in Minnesota use in one year (using an average of 700 kWh per month). The vertical axis turbine is mounted on a 23 foot pole and features a compact design more suitable for urban or sub-urban wind power generation. The vertical turbine is expected to generate about 750 kWh per year, which is the equivalent of about one month’s electricity for a typical Minnesota home.

For more information on how wind turbines convert wind energy into electricity, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s wind basics page.

Solar Thermal (Hot Water)

To meet its domestic hot water needs (sinks, shower), Cascade Meadow chose a system that uses the heat in sunlight to heat the water. The solar thermal array is made up of two 4 ft. x 8 ft. flat plate collectors. It is unclear exactly how much energy the system will save Cascade Meadow. However, the monitoring system will allow Cascade Meadow to determine energy savings after several months of operational data.

For more information on how solar thermal systems can use the sun’s heat to save electricity or natural gas, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s solar heating basics page.

For information on RPU's solar hot water rebate program, click here.

Explore MN Department of Commerce's Division of Energy Resources Rebates & Credits page.

Geothermal

Cascade Meadow selected a geothermal heat pump system to provide in-floor heating and cooling for the building. The system transfers heat to and from the lake at Cascade Meadow. Uniquely, the hydrology of the site is such that the water temperatures in the lake are fairly consistent throughout the year, as compared to the wide variations of typical ponds. This is due to the water that is constantly flowing through the lake. The building’s heating and cooling system was designed to work at high efficiency with geothermal heat pumps. Once the monitoring system is fully operational, we will track heating and cooling costs for use in comparisons with buildings built to code standards.

For more information on geothermal heat pumps and how they work, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s geothermal basics page.

RPU's Conserve & Save program includes a geothermal rebate program- click here for the application.

Live Data From the Cascade Meadow Building

Visit our renewable energy technology portal to see live and trending data from these systems. [Coming Soon!]

West North Central Region Averages:

Curious about how the average home in our region spends money on and consumes energy?  Check out the table below (Where did these figures come from? Click here).

  Space Heat Air Conditioning Water Heat Refrigerator Other Appliances + Lights
Energy Expenses ($) 34.5% 10% 15.5% 7% 33%
Energy Consumption (BTUs) 46% 7% 19% 4% 24%

 

Heating and cooling account for about 53% of the energy use in a typical West North Central U.S. home, making it the largest energy expense (45% of energy expenses) for most homes.

Appliances and home electronics are responsible for about 40% of your energy bills.

Water heating can account for 19% of the energy consumed in your home, which represents 15% of your total energy expenses.