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Cover Story
Solar Powered Sunrise – How The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay is Using Solar Powered Lights to Improve Customer Safety and Satisfaction
Like most golf course maintenance staffs, the agronomy team at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay start our day in the dark, long before the first golfer arrives and long before the first ball is teed up. The early morning darkness is not easy to work in and not always safe. It hides many dangers.
The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay is in Harrison, Tennessee, about 25 miles from downtown Chattanooga. Because it is a rural golf course on the grounds of Harrison Bay State Park, ambient lighting from nearby buildings is virtually nonexistent. Being on the extreme western edge of the Eastern time zone means sunlight is late to arrive to the course as well, especially in the months of early spring and late fall.
As a public golf course, we depend on outings and tournaments for revenue. The outings and tournaments depend on volunteers to assist in setting up for the event. Last year prior to an 8:00 AM shotgun tournament we had an incident which could have been tragic. It opened our eyes to a severe safety issue at our course, one that I knew had to be addressed.
For large tournaments, as this one was, we arrange our golf carts around the putting green. Often volunteers for the outings will place items in the carts before the golfers arrive. As I was traveling on the cart path by the golf carts lined up around the putting green, a lady stepped out from between two parked carts directly into my path. Luckily, I was on a riding greensmower traveling at a slower speed and was able to stop. If I had been in my normal utility vehicle, I am sure the result would have been very different. It was the shock of this situation that made me realize that something had to be done about the lack of safe lighting around our putting green and clubhouse area. Enough was enough.
The last thing a business wants is for a guest to be injured, or an employee for that matter. Our lack of sufficient lighting had to be corrected. Picking the proper route to solve this problem was the question. Do we use traditional street lighting? Would we have to hire an electrical contractor? Would we have to trench around the putting green to install the power lines? How would we be able to control when the lights came on and when they went off? What would a system like this cost?
The idea of a traditional electric streetlight was not appealing to me. The thought of disturbing the area around the putting green and clubhouse with trenches for power cables was even less appealing. The possibility of golfers staying well past closing time continuing to practice under the lights was an absolute deal breaker. So, I needed to find a lighting solution that looked good without standing out in the surroundings. One that could be installed, preferably by our staff and without the need of an electrical contractor. And one that was environmentally sensitive while also allowing me to control when the light would be active and for how long.
The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay prides itself in being a champion for the environment. Certified by Audubon International as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary and by the Golf Environment Organization we strive to lessen our impact on the environment. The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay is one of nine golf courses comprising the Tennessee Golf Trail, all owned and operated by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). Part of the mission of our department is to protect the environment and preserve natural resources.
Following the incident last October I contacted our Facilities Director for TDEC, Mr. Tim Stewart, and described the situation that had occurred and relayed my concerns. After a brief conversation Mr. Stewart asked if I had considered the use of solar powered lights. I had not.
Could a solar powered lighting system provide enough illumination for the area? Could the lights be controlled as I wanted them to be? Without the need for power lines would we need to disturb the landscape with trenches? Could we find a lighting fixture that would look good? Could solar powered lights work?
Fonroche Lighting, a solar powered lighting company in Forest Hill, Texas, was recommended by Mr. Stewart. After a quick view of their website (www.FonrocheSolarLighting.com), I contacted them. I was very skeptical that they could meet all the requirements that I had for the project.
Michael Montenero, regional sales manager for Fonroche, just kept saying “yes” to each of my questions. He informed me that solar powered lights use LED lights and provide as much illumination as traditional electric streetlights. Solar powered lights do not need electric power so the only disruption to the landscape would be an 18" hole augured to install the pole and then backfilled. They had several sleek design options to choose from and they could control the on/off and duration of the lights in any manner that I wanted. Solar powered lights could work.
For this project I wanted to not only provide lighting for the putting green but also for the parking lot which is close by. There would be three lights installed around the putting green and four installed for the parking lot and clubhouse area. The lights would be the same, but the timing and duration of the nighttime lighting would be different. This was the request that I didn’t think they could achieve. I wanted the three lights around the putting green to only come on one hour before sunrise. I wanted the four lights around the parking lot to turn on one hour past sunset then lower in illumination during the night and then brighten back up one hour before sunrise. I also did not want to have a timer that could be adjusted or turned on without permission. I didn’t want to worry about physically turning the lights on or turning them on with a remote. I didn’t want to worry about keeping up with changing times of sunrise or sunset or worrying with the change of daylight savings time.
Fonroche Lighting had the solution I was seeking. Their proprietary SmartLight technology uses astrological and chronological timing built into the software of the batteries to track the length of the sunlight present from day to day. The software automatically adjusts operational times based on seasonal sunlight changes. No timer needed. No on/off switch needed. No chance of the lights being on when I didn’t want them. The specially formulated NiMH batteries perform well in a wide variety of temperatures from -40 to +156F. The ability to vary the angle of the solar panels depending on location will allow solar lighting to provide maintenance free and environmentally sustainable light to golf courses anywhere. Thanks to this technology, I could just set it and forget it.
Going away from the traditional model can be scary. Although I knew of several golf courses that have lighting systems around putting greens and practice areas, I did not know of any that were utilizing solar power. The cost of the solar powered lighting system was also a question and how it would compare to standard electric systems. To start the process, we received a quote from a local electrical contractor to provide and install seven lights. This would include all electrical connections and the installation of a new electrical breaker panel in the cart storage building. The quote we received was for $37,184.28.
Of the three solar powered lighting companies we contacted, Fonroche Lighting provided us with the best package. For $29,185.48 they would provide the seven poles, lights and solar panels and all connecting hardware. The lights would be programmed to meet my requirements and would be covered by a 10-year warranty. An additional $3,118.40 would be needed for equipment rental and installation supplies and all the work would be performed by BTHB staff. Solar powered lighting would be less expensive to install and maintain.
365 nights of light a year—guaranteed. No worries about power outages. No maintenance costs. No operating costs. Increased safety and security. The benefits of solar powered lighting just kept adding up and the environmental benefits are going to keep adding up for years to come. A standard electric streetlight consumes on average 80 watts of energy per hour during operation. In Chattanooga, streetlights operate for an average of 4,200 hours annually. This is a total of 336 kilowatt hours of energy each year. Each kilowatt hour consumed results in the emission of 0.99 pounds of CO2. Our choice to install seven solar powered lights will benefit the environment by a yearly reduction of over 2,328 pounds of carbon emissions. Solar powered lights were looking better and better.
We had found our lighting solution. Now could we find a partner that would help us fund this much needed project. The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay has been part of many environmental projects through the years and several of these have been heavily assisted by our friends at the Office of Sustainable Practices (OSP). OSP is a division of TDEC working to promote a culture of environmental sustainability among businesses and individuals in Tennessee to help conserve natural resources. We have worked with OSP before on projects such as our Electric Equipment Initiative where we converted 29 pieces of gasoline powered golf course maintenance equipment to fully electric models. Just last year they provided funds for the installation of two PondHawk solar powered pond aerators to help improve the water quality in our irrigation pond.
I reached out to Ms. Kathy Glapa, Operations Manager with OSP and told her of my vision. I explained how it would benefit the golf course and the environment and asked if OSP might be interested in assisting. Ms. Glapa responded that they would be happy to. When asked why OSP was interested in being a partner for this project she stated, “The most intriguing part of this project was the fact that our office could help with security and the safety of citizens. We also enjoy that we can offer an option that doesn’t increase the bottom line because the lights operate completely on solar and not off the energy grid.”
Dig a hole. Plant a pole. It was really that simple. Without the need to be connected to the electric power grid we had the freedom to place the lights where we wanted. We would not need the services, or expense, of an outside contractor. We would not need to disturb the landscape surrounding the putting green or the parking lot with trenches for power wire. Dig the hole and plant the pole.
Once the solar powered lighting systems were delivered, an 18" auger attachment was rented for our skid steer loader and with it we excavated a hole five feet deep for each light pole. This insured enough room around the 9" base of the light pole to be sufficiently secured. The 25' tall, galvanized aluminum light poles, which are powder coated black, were then raised and installed in place with the help of a 65' articulating boom lift. Once the base of the light pole was secured five feet deep in the prepared hole it was plumbed and backfilled with gravel and quick setting concrete. We allowed several days for the concrete to harden around the base of the light poles. This ensured the light pole was ready for the installation of the light and solar panel at the top.
The lighting system from Fonroche Lighting is a “plug and play” system. All the materials needed for an easy installation are supplied and the installation instructions are easy to follow. No need for an electrical contractor license or any skilled electrical experience. The complete installation process was done by our agronomy staff in a manner of days. Once installed, the lighting systems require no maintenance for 10 years and will operate emission free.
The solar powered lighting project will impact our facility in many ways. The greatest impact will be safety. Safety of both our golfers and guests, and our employees. Jerry Klassen, Bear Trace at Harrison Bay outside operations employee touts this project as a “complete success” saying “out of all the projects that have been done at this course, this is by far the best one. To be able to see where you are going when pulling out the carts in the morning is great. We are no longer using the lights on our phones to light our path.”
For the “dew whippers,” those golfers who are the first ones out on the course each day, the lighted putting green improves their experience. Steve James, a regular early morning golfer at Harrison Bay, remarked when asked about the lights around the putting green, “The great thing about having a putting green that is illuminated early in the morning is that the contour and the texture of the green is more pronounced and easier to see. Putting is what I like to do first when arriving at the golf course” and the lighting on the putting green sets him up for a “great day at the golf course.”
An additional benefit is increased morning efficiency. The lights on the putting green and around the clubhouse and parking lot area allow our agronomy staff to be more efficient in the morning hours as well. No longer are we using head lamps or lights from utility vehicles to change the practice pin locations or blow off leaves and debris. We can more properly and accurately apply fertilizer and plant protective products before the operations staff or golfers arrive. The lights allow our staff to better prepare our property, in a safe environment, to improve the golfer’s experience.
It was a pleasure working with TDEC’s Office of Sustainable Practices and with Fonroche Lighting to make this project a reality. The collaborative effort of all involved in this project has helped to improve the golf course property, helping us to remove unseen hazards and dangers.
The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay was once in the dark but now we are in the light. Our mornings start off brighter, more productive, and safer. Our employees and our guests can now move about the clubhouse and putting green area in a fully illuminated environment. We took what could have been a tragic situation and improved our operation for the betterment of our golfers and guests. The addition of the solar powered lighting system has changed the way we look at our operation. We now see it in a whole new light.