The first phase of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation’s effort to transform Taliesin West into a net-zero energy-use facility has been completed, while construction on energy efficiency improvements continue. A new 250-KW solar photovoltaic power system, donated by Tempe, Ariz.-based First Solar Inc., was commissioned this week on the 75-year-old National Historic Landmark architectural campus.
The endeavour, dubbed Energizing Taliesin West, was sparked during an energy audit of the 500-acre property in early 2011 by Phoenix-based consultant Big Green Zero. It found that Taliesin West’s energy bills could be reduced by 51% via relatively inexpensive energy efficiency improvements to lighting, insulation and climate controls, while the balance of energy could be generated on site using a solar PV system.