CLIMATE INNOVATION CENTER
Brice Wallace
A new center that aims to serve as a model for the construction of zero-energy buildings across the West has opened in Salt Lake City.
The Climate Innovation Center at 215 S. 400 E. will serve as headquarters for nonprofit Utah Clean Energy. The structure once was a dilapidated, 50-year-old building but its renovation will demonstrate the potential for homes and other buildings to be comfortable while also producing zero pollution and serving as a center for local climate action.
“At Utah Clean Energy, we believe that addressing climate change starts at home, and with the opening of our Climate Innovation Center, we are proud to lead by example,” Sarah Wright, Utah Clean Energy’s CEO, said at the center’s grand opening ceremonies. “This is a living laboratory and teaching tool for the public and the business community, demonstrating the tremendous role that buildings have in solving climate change.”
The bipartisan organization said that throughout the building renovation, it and its building partners documented all of the steps to achieve zero energy and will use the building and a dedicated website as a teaching tool to make it easy for others to follow suit.
The center includes a space dedicated to learning, exploration and collaboration centered on climate solutions and improving local air quality, serving as a place for the community to engage and create solutions to climate challenges.
“We must build a more sustainable, resilient city and state,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. “As we combat the effects of climate change, I’m anxious for residents and businesses to learn and adopt energy efficiencies and solutions from Utah Clean Energy — centered right in the heart of our downtown core.”
Leading by example, the building features on-site solar power and battery storage that will provide all of its energy needs. It operates without natural gas, eliminating the need for fossil fuels. A Rocky Mountain Power Blue Sky grant supported the rooftop solar installation, complete with a solar canopy and the battery storage.
“As we confront the urgent challenges posed by climate change, the need for bold, innovative solutions has never been greater,” Wright said. “With the Climate Innovation Center, we demonstrate that solutions are already at hand; we have what we need to lay the groundwork for a healthy, sustainable and resilient future for generations to come.”
Other guest speakers at the grand opening included Scott Anderson, chairman of the Zions Bank Advisory Board; Joel Ferry, executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources; and Catherine Raney-Norman with the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games.
Utah Clean Energy, in place for more than 20 years, focuses on expanding renewable energy, energy efficiency, storage and clean vehicles as a way to help Utah’s environment and health, but also its economy and long-term energy security.
Utah Clean Energy recently announced a collaboration, with the support of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, with local home builders Garbett Homes, Ivory Homes and Sego Homes to make low- and zero-emission homes more accessible in Utah. Two homes will be part of a “model village” at Daybreak, while the other will be in the Marmalade District in Salt Lake City. The homes will achieve some of the nation’s highest standards for energy performance and reduced emissions as they demonstrate the potential to build homes for a healthy environment. All will be at least 40 percent more energy efficient than traditional new homes in Utah.