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Succeed at LEED: focus on solar energy; An ongoing series presenting useful LEED tips and tricks. This month, we focus on strategies for capturing LEED points using solar power strategies.

Article Excerpt
LEED, ENERGY AND BUILDINGS

In 50 years, climate scientist tell us, Glacier National Park in Montana will have no glaciers, and the arctic ice cap may melt entirely during summer seasons. Oil spills from the Amazon to Alaska despoil fragile and rare landscapes, while urban smog and acid rain continue to choke city dwellers and defoliate northeastern forests. These symbols of our dependence on non-renewable energy sources reflect both the tremendous price, and also the terrific opportunities, surrounding the complex connection between energy, environment, and buildings.

Buildings consume over 65 percent of total U.S. electricity and 36 percent of all U.S. energy, and are responsible for 30 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Because buildings contribute so significantly to our energy use, both in their construction and operation, and in their indirect role on transportation-related impacts, the design and construction of buildings presents a tremendous opportunity to transform energy-related woes into exciting solutions to some of the planet's most pressing problems.

Recognizing this, the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for New Construction (NC) green building certification standard awards a total of 23 points for energy-related design and construction strategies, split among three entire sections of the LEED-NC standard. Among the...