Taliesin West. (Photo by Artotem.)
Taliesin West, the iconic desert home created by Frank Lloyd Wright, is about to go net-zero, which means it will produce as much energy as it consumes. It’s a fitting update for a structure that was way ahead of its time.
All the technological goodies we’ve invented since its construction mean that more than half of the building’s energy needs will be met through efficiency alone, courtesy Big Green Zero, a Phoenix-based “energy efficiency engineering team.”
The remainder will be met by a 250-kilowatt solar system built by thin-film solar manufacturer First Solar, reports Patrick O’Grady at the Phoenix Business Journal.
But don’t worry, preservationists and FLW superfans: The entire installation will maintain “the historic and architectural integrity of the site,” and the panels will not be visible in the building’s historic core, says FirstSolar.
