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February 8, 2013
Pennoni Engineering

Pennoni is pleased to announce that the Longwood Gardens Photovoltaic Facility was recognized with a Diamond Award Certificate by the American Council of Engineering Companies’ Pennsylvania Chapter. This award was given in the Water and Stormwater Category during a banquet held at the Hotel Hershey. The project was previously recognized with an Honorable Mention by the Philadelphia Chapter of the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers.

Throughout the development of the project, the main challenge was the stormwater management component of the solar panels. In addition to developing an ideal approach to managing the impacts of the stormwater runoff rate and volume, it was essential to Longwood Gardens to maintain the ground’s natural topography and perform the least amount of grading possible. Working closely with Chester County Conservation District and EPC firm groSolar, Pennoni proposed a stormwater management model in which meadow ground cover surrounding the solar panels provided the primary means of stormwater management rate and volume control. The idea developed through discussion with the project team was to place the panels on driven piles in order to limit the disturbance to the natural environment of the meadow fields surrounding the panels and create an aesthetically pleasing and environmentally sensitive solar field. The meadow ground cover is the primary best management practice for the site as it treats stormwater at the source, the solar panels. In addition to the meadow ground cover, a rain garden best management practice was designed to control the runoff rates and volumes associated with the project, in particular the gravel driveway and impervious area for the electrical inverter. The combination of meadow grasses surrounding the solar panels, along with a rain garden, provided an environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing approach to handle stormwater management for the photovoltaic facility. 

Pennoni, groSolar, and Longwood Gardens were pleased that the solar project was incorporated into the natural beauty and landscape at the site. The grid-tied installation is providing approximately 18% of the facility’s electricity consumption and will reduce Longwood’s annual carbon dioxide emissions by 1,367 tons.

Source: www.Penonni.com