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Melink is one of the few existing buildings in the world to be net-zero energy. Being net-zero energy means the energy our 30,000 square foot building consumes is offset by on-site renewable energy production from Melink's solar photovoltaic and wind energy systems. We also use geothermal, solar thermal and biomass systems to offset the energy we need to use throughout the building. While the solar PV and wind turbine are the only systems that actually produce energy, the solar thermal, geothermal and biomass reduce our need for energy and are known as "offsets."
The net zero energy plan was developed over time – our first goal was to be a LEED Gold New Construction (NC) certified building which was achieved when the new corporate headquarters office was completed in 2006. Company President Steve Melink saw we could still reach LEED Platinum Existing Building (EB) and challenged employees to conserve more energy while we increased the amount of solar PV systems on our roof. In January 2011, we achieved LEED Platinum EB status.
So Steve challenged employees to reach net-zero energy! In the past year, we've combined our geothermal heat pumps with our solar thermal system to optimize performance and added more solar PV systems on our roof and throughout our campus – including 7 Ingrids, a carport and a large solar array. As a result, Melink consistently sends energy back to the grid and even receives energy bills showing a credit – not an easy task for a building our size.
Will being off the grid be Steve's next challenge? Stay tuned!
