NETL is providing first-hand knowledge to the City of Morgantown Engineering and Urban Landscape Departments on the energy efficiency of adding a green roof to the City Hall building. The Morgantown Engineering and Urban Landscape Departments visited the NETL Morgantown Site for a presentation by Facility Operations Engineering and Operations Team engineers on the Technology Support Facility’s (TSF) Green Roof build followed by a tour.

The TSF has two green roof areas that have reflective roofing material with a high solar reflectance index, which measures the roof’s ability to reject solar heat. A green vegetated roof over the lobby and visitor’s center also serves as heat-sink insulation. The type of plants and soil used are both important features. The rooftop is cultivated with indigenous plants to reduce irrigation requirements. A green roof can help with everything from acting as a thermal mask to eliminating storm water run-off. The TSF includes water preservation measures, as rainwater is collected from tanks on the roof and is used for water closets and hose bibs.

The facility is designed to meet both the U.S. Green Building Council requirements for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements for Energy Star certification.

Joe Kanosky, an engineer on the Engineering & Facilities Team and the tour guide, said this is a great way for NETL to showcase its technologies. Kanosky has a history helping the City of Morgantown on energy efficient practices, serving as a member on the city’s Green Team. The Green Team is made up of citizens who live, work, or spend time in the Morgantown area and have expertise, skills, or interests in assisting the City of Morgantown in achieving environmental sustainability.

The City of Morgantown Engineering and Urban Landscape Departments hope to learn enough from the NETL site to implement these methods on their own city buildings. Specifically, City Engineers will be adding a green roof to the City Hall building during the structural restoration work managed by Alpha Engineering. The city is also planning on using a green roof on an Urban Landscape Building that is in the works and possibly adding one to the city’s Public Safety Building in the future.

Kanosky also gave the Morgantown city employees ideas for water storage, window replacements, and energy efficient air units.

This is just one example of NETL providing energy efficient solutions that extend into and beyond the regions the three Labs are located.