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EnterSolar Completes 1.6 MW Rooftop For Long Island Distributor

New York City-based EnterSolar has completed a 1.6 MW series of projects for convenience store distributor Harold Levinson Associates (HLA) in Farmingdale, N.Y.

The installation was actually divided into three discrete projects developed and built in tandem in order to meet the physical requirements of the customer’s 22-acre headquarters site and also to best take advantage of the incentives on offer. Located in an industrial park in the south-central part of Long Island, HLA’s headquarters campus features two large warehouse facilities and a smaller office building.

“The client wanted to do a large-scale solar project,” says Peyton Boswell, managing director of EnterSolar. “It’s a family-run company with a real bent toward sustainability. They wanted solar but had no idea how large a project or how to go about structuring it. It was a blank slate.”

Boswell says that because EnterSolar is focusing on the mid- to large-scale commercial solar marketplace, it is important to be flexible and agnostic about how projects are structured. He says Founder Paul Ahern’s concept as a developer is for corporate entities looking at solar to have a wide range of options.

Many of the early discussions between HLA and EnterSolar focused on economics. One of the options considered was leasing the rooftop acreage to a financial investor. Ultimately, HLA concluded that its biggest bang for the buck would come from owning the system. Because no incentives for large-scale commercial systems were available, EnterSolar designed the installations to take advantage of the largest utility incentive at the time.

The client’s preferences, finances and available roof space dovetailed nicely with the details of the Long Island Power Authority’s (LIPA) Clean Solar Initiative feed-in tariff (FIT) - also know as FIT I - in effect at the time the deal was made. The two warehouse facilities were each able to host a separate 500 kW (AC) system, which was the maximum allowable under the FIT program. The third project is a 100 kW (AC) system net-metered under the LIPA (now PSEG-LI) expected performance-based buydown program.

“The benefit of the net-metered system is that it directly offsets our client’s on-site electricity usage, thereby providing a direct hedge on whatever the spot price electricity is at that point in time,” says Steve Burns, EnterSolar’s project manager. “This contrasts with the revenue profile of the FIT systems, which are fixed-priced throughout the 20-year period. HLA really liked the combined cashflow profile, which included the ‘floating rate’ benefit of the net-metered system in conjunction with the more annuity-like fixed-rate benefit of the FIT systems.”

An interesting aspect of the FIT projects is that the two hosting roof sites, although located across the street, are very different. One warehouse has a metal standing-seam roof while the other has a membrane roof. For the metal roof, EnterSolar specified the S-5! PV kit, which secures 816.5 kW of Trina Solar panels to the S-5! clamps that attach to the roof seam. No rails were used for that array. The membrane roof hosts a PanelClaw 15-degree tilt ballasted racking system supporting 699 kW of modules. The 144.4 kW array on the office building also uses the PanelClaw ballasted system. All of the three arrays use Advanced Energy 500 kW central inverters.

“We hired a surveyor to make a detailed survey of the roofs before we started laying out the modules,” says Edgar Lim, project engineer. “That was really helpful. After we received the survey, which included the height of the obstructions, we performed a shading analysis that allowed us to figure out which areas to avoid to ensure that panels are not shaded.”

Monitoring is an important part of the installation, both because of its size and to support EnterSolar’s duties as the operations and maintenance (O&M) provider. Like most of the company’s recent projects, the HLA installations feature the Solar-OS monitoring system from Locus Energy, which consists of wireless monitoring units at the string level supported by two on-site weather stations.

“That gives us a very granular look into what the system is doing in real time,” Boswell says, indicating that O&M services form a key part of EnterSolar’s business model.

Currently, the company is providing O&M services on about 45 projects, all of which it has also developed. Boswell says that going forward, EnterSolar intends to pursue third-party O&M opportunities. “It’s something that we are very keen to build on,” he says.

- Michael Puttré

 

Google Backs 104 MW Red Hills Solar In Utah

Norway-based Scatec Solar ASA has entered into financing agreements totaling $157 million for construction of the 104 MW Red Hills solar power plant in Parowan, Utah. Total investment for the plant is estimated at $188 million.

Scatec Solar developed the project as well as structured the project’s financing, which includes tax equity, debt financing and sponsor equity. All the sponsor equity will be provided by Scatec Solar. The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is the tax equity investor on the deal.

The Utah Red Hills Renewable Energy Park is expected to generate approximately 210 GWh of electricity per year, which will be fed into the grid under a 20-year power purchase agreement with PacifiCorp’s Rocky Mountain Power.

The ground-mounted photovoltaic solar facility, being developed on approximately 650 acres of privately owned land, will deploy approximately 325,000 photovoltaic modules on a single-axis tracking system and will interconnect to an existing transmission line. It received regulatory approval in April 2014.

 

Idaho Approves 100 MW Of First Wind Solar

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has approved 20-year energy sale agreements for five solar projects totaling 100 MW that First Wind is developing for Idaho Power Co.

The five 20 MW projects are spread across southern Idaho, where they will provide electricity to Ada, Elmore, Owyhee and Power counties. Each project is targeted to be completed by the end of 2016. The five projects combined are expected to generate approximately 250 GWh of electricity per year.

“We’re excited to announce these agreements for new solar energy in Idaho,” says Paul Gaynor, CEO of First Wind. “The new long-term contracts with Idaho Power Co. will enable us to move forward quickly and create a source of major economic activity for Idaho through good construction jobs and significant local tax revenues.”

First Wind currently operates four solar projects in Massachusetts and has additional solar projects in development in Hawaii and Utah.

In Idaho, First Wind operates the 45 MW Power County Wind project on behalf of a third-party owner.

 

RET Capital Acquires 24.5 MW In Georgia

Renewable Energy Trust Capital Inc. (RET Capital) says it has acquired the Camilla, Camp and Upson operating solar PV systems in Georgia from Origis USA Inc.

Totaling 24.5 MW DC, the projects operate through 20-year power purchase agreements with Georgia Power. Under the new agreement, Origis will continue to provide operations and maintenance (O&M) and asset management services.

In addition to this initial acquisition, the companies have executed a broad collaboration framework agreement, wherein RET Capital will provide Origis with a long-term reliable source of capital for its assets. Origis will provide development; engineering, procurement and construction; O&M; and asset management services for its pipeline in North America. Additionally, they will continue to work together to expand their co-development and acquisition efforts.

 

Inovateus To Install
1.28 MW For IKEA

IKEA is planning a 1.28 MW rooftop solar photovoltaic system for its new retail location in St. Louis, scheduled to open in the fall.

The 259,000 square-foot solar array will incorporate 4,085 panels that are expected to produce approximately 1.78 GWh of electricity annually for the store. Inovateus Solar LLC has been contracted to perform the installation, which will begin this spring.

The St. Louis installation will represent the 42nd solar project for IKEA in the U.S. The company has solar on nearly 90% of its U.S. locations. IKEA owns and operates each of its solar PV energy systems.

 

Greenwood Starts 80 MW Merchant Project

Greenwood Energy is developing and will operate an 80 MW solar photovoltaic project in the Antofagasta region of Chile through a partnership with Pacific Solar SA.

The single-axis Inti project is located on 190 hectares of public land and will sell electricity into Chile’s spot market as a merchant power plant. Construction is expected to start in the first half of this year and could be operational in the first quarter of 2016.

“Chile’s advanced electricity market makes it an ideal location for large-scale solar generation,” says Camilo Patrignani, CEO of Greenwood Energy. “The Inti project is further proof that renewable energy is an economic alternative to fossil fuels, reliably meets fast-growing power demand and boosts energy independence while cutting emissions across South America.”

Chile is projected to be one of the world’s fastest-growing solar markets. Project Inti adds to Greenwood’s expanding solar portfolio in Chile and across the Latin American region. In 2014, the company completed a 40 MW solar project in the Atacama region of Chile, constructed Panama’s first utility-scale solar installation and announced it would develop 250 MW of new commercial rooftop solar in Mexico by 2017.

 

Ross Solar Installs
104.6 kW Array

Connecticut-based Ross Solar Group has completed a 104.6 kW solar photovoltaic array for HOMA Pump Technology in Ansonia, Conn.

The installation incorporates 320 SunPower solar panels and four SMA Tripower 24000 TL inverters. The system is expected to generate in excess of 125 MWh of electricity per year.

The project was made possible through awards that Ross Solar secured on HOMA’s behalf through Connecticut’s zero-emission renewable energy credit program, which makes commercial PV electric and solar heating and cooling systems exempt from property taxes.

 

Phase Two Of Indianapolis Airport Solar Done

The second phase of the IND Solar Farm project at Indianapolis International Airport is now fully operational.

The 7.5 MW solar farm expansion included 32,100 photovoltaic modules mounted on trackers, bringing the project total up to 15.5 MW with over 76,000 modules. Indianapolis Power & Light Co. purchases the power from the project, which is expected to produce over 31.7 GWh of electricity per year.

Telamon Corp. and Johnson Melloh Solutions developed the project for Taiwan-based General Energy Solutions, which also operates the facility.

Phase one of the IND Solar Farm was commissioned in October 2013.

 

Kyocera To Develop Floating Solar Plant

Kyocera TCL Solar LLC, a joint venture established by Kyocera Corp. and Century Tokyo Leasing Corp., will develop and operate a 13.4 MW floating solar power plant on the Yamakura Dam reservoir, managed by the Public Enterprises Agency of Chiba Prefecture in Japan.

Under the plan, Kyocera TCL Solar will build and operate the installation, and Century Tokyo Leasing will provide project financing. The Kyocera Group will be responsible for the supply of solar modules and related equipment, in addition to construction, operation and maintenance.

The project will involve approximately 50,000 Kyocera modules installed over a water surface area of 180,000 square-meters. The plant is expected to generate an estimated 15,635 MWh of electricity per year.

The modules will be installed on floating platforms manufactured by France-based Ciel et Terre, which is also supplying the platforms for a floating solar power plant project in Hyogo Prefecture that is currently being constructed by Kyocera TCL Solar.

The company aims to begin operations in March 2016 after negotiating with related parties, including Tokyo Electric Power Co.

 

Exosun To Supply Trackers For Brownfields PV

Exosun has signed agreements to supply trackers for four new photovoltaic power plants in France.

The solar plants, with a combined capacity of 20 MW, will be constructed on four brownfield sites: two landfills, an abandoned gravel pit and a fallow industrial site. The projects are expected to produce a total of 28,300 MWh of electricity per year.

The plants will be equipped with Exosun’s Exotrack HZ horizontal single-axis solar trackers. In order to address soil settlement issues that are typical of landfills, Exosun has developed an adjustable foundation system that preserves the integrity of waste containment membranes.

In addition to supplying the solar trackers for the plants, Exosun will be in charge of their commissioning, which is scheduled for this summer.

 

Solect Installs 142.5 kW Array At Ford Dealership

Massachusetts-based Solect Energy Development has installed a 142.5 kW rooftop solar energy system at Franklin Ford in Franklin, Mass.

Franklin Ford recently renovated its showroom and service bay, which included replacement of about half of its roof area. The dealership made a decision to incorporate solar energy, LED lighting and other energy-efficiency measures into the facilities refit.

The rooftop array features ET Solar 255 W photovoltaic panels mounted on Equilibrium Solar EcoFoot 2 hardware. The installation incorporates two Solectria PVI 60 inverters. The system is expected to cover nearly 100% of the dealership’s electricity needs, generating more than $30,000 in annual electricity savings.

“Given its location and rooftop, Franklin Ford had a textbook site for solar,” says Steve Bianchi, business development partner at Solect Energy Development.

 

Organic Food Co-op Going Solar With Crowdsourcing

San Francisco-based nonprofit RE-volv has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to finance a 36 kW solar energy system for the Other Avenues Food Cooperative in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood.

RE-volv raises donations through crowdfunding to finance 20-year lease agreements for solar energy projects for community-based organizations. As community organizations pay RE-volv back, RE-volv reinvests the money into additional projects to create the self-sustaining revolving Solar Seed Fund.

“I’ve been working on this project for eight years, and it’s been difficult to find the right fit for financing this solar project,” says Darryl Dea, president of Other Avenues. “So when RE-volv came around, it was a perfect fit for us because not only do they work with nonprofits and co-ops, but we’re able to contribute to this fund, which will further create more solar projects.”

 

Positive Energy Completes Array For College

Positive Energy Solar has completed a new 156 kW solar array for Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) in Santa Fe, N.M. The array joins two existing solar installations built in 2014 that will provide the campus with 1.7 MW of solar power.

The new installation at the college’s Higher Education Center combines a solar parking structure with rooftop arrays that will produce approximately 70% of the energy to power the new building.

SFCC says the existing two arrays save the college more than $200,000 per year. The first array that Positive Energy Solar completed for SFCC consisted of three dual-axis trackers, which are featured prominently in the college’s Sustainable Technologies curriculum.

 

Imergy Batteries Support Alps Storage Project

California-based Imergy Power Systems says Metronik Energija has installed two of its ESP4 vanadium flow batteries for evaluation as part of a solar energy system for a restaurant in the Slovenian Alps.

The Trojane restaurant has a 49 kW photovoltaic solar power system, a 30 kW combined heat and power system, and an electric vehicle (EV) charging station. The energy storage project, supported by the Slovenian utility Elektro Ljubljana, is intended to demonstrate how Imergy’s flow batteries manage multiple applications, such as renewable energy system integration, peak demand reduction, backup power and EV charging.

The project is part of the European AlpStore program, with partners from seven countries tasked with developing a long-term energy storage strategy for the Alpine regions. It will be evaluated by Elektro Ljubljana under a two-year project that seeks to establish how energy storage systems incorporating vanadium-based flow batteries manage the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources.

 

SolarSense Completes 2.15 MW In Vermont

Radnor, Pa.-based power provider SolarSense, part of the Alternative Energy Development Group, has commissioned 2.15 MW of projects in Vermont.

The five net-metered projects are all equipped with solar trackers from AllEarth Renewables. The 24-panel trackers are equipped with SunPower solar panels.

Among the projects were three 500 kW projects for the state of Vermont providing solar energy to correctional facilities and state office buildings. Two additional projects are providing solar energy to three businesses - Danforth Pewter, Gardener's Supply and Wake Robin.

SolarSense and AllEarth plan to develop, construct and finance 6 MW
of new net-metering projects through 2016, largely for Vermont state facilities.

 

UGE Completes Hybrid Energy System

Urban Green Energy (UGE) and the Orion Group have installed a hybrid solar and wind system at Calamba Doctors' Hospital in the Philippines.

The project offsets 20% of the hospital's energy use and provides a constant energy supply to support hospital operations.

The hybrid project consists of a 150 kW photovoltaic array and a VisionAIR3 wind turbine. The system also includes UGE’s ViewUGE monitoring system that transmits real-time energy production data that can be accessed through the Internet.

 

GameChange Receives 18 MW Order In N.J.

GameChange Racking has received an order for its Max-Span post system with driven piles for four projects in New Jersey totaling 18 MW.

The customer is a large private equity firm that develops solar projects in the Northeast. Panels for the projects are primarily Sunpreme 350 W bifacial double-sided glass panels. Inverters are being provided by Solectria Renewables.

Andrew Worden, CEO of Game-
Change Racking, says the ability of the Max-Span post system to support double-sided glass modules under heavy wind and snow loads was a "critical factor" in its selection.

 

Trina Connects 90 MW Plant In China

Trina Solar Ltd. says its 90 MW solar power plant in Toksun, China, has been connected to the grid.

Approximately 300,000 of Trina Solar's modules with outputs ranging from 295 W to 310 W were installed in the power plant, which is located in the Xinjiang province. The facility is expected to generate approximately 118 GWh of electricity per year under a 20-year subsidized rate.

 

PermaCity Builds 5.1 MW For Forever 21

PermaCity Solar has completed a 5.1 MW rooftop solar power system for fashion retailer Forever 21's headquarters in Los Angeles.

The array features 15,512 SunPower modules mounted on PermaCity's SolarStrap racking system. PermaCity developed the project under the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's feed-in tariff and solar incentive programs. West Hills Construction built the array.

PermaCity says its SolarStrap system essentially bakes the panels onto the roof without any penetrations or ballast.

 

Yingli Starts 20 MW Plant In China

Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. says its holding subsidiary, Yingli Energy (Beijing) Co. Ltd., has begun construction of a 20 MW solar power plant in Shule County, Xinjiang Province, China.

Upon its completion in the second quarter of the year, the project will generate approximately 28 million kWh of electricity annually - enough to meet nearly 30% of Shule County's residential power demand.

 

Prologis Completes
4.2 MW In LA

Prologis Inc. has completed four new solar projects with a combined capacity of 4.2 MW on Los Angeles rooftops.

Prologis developed and built the solar installations under the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's feed-in tariff program. It was acquired by an affiliate of D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments LLC, in partnership with Bright Plain Renewable Energy.

 

Abengoa To Develop
Solar Desalination Plant

Abengoa has been selected by Advanced Water Technology (AWT) to jointly develop a large-scale solar-powered desalination plant in Saudi Arabia.

The project incorporates a photovoltaic plant that will be capable of supplying the power required by the desalination process. The desalination plant is expected to produce 60,000 cubic-meters of water a day to supply Al Khafji City in northeastern Saudi Arabia.

AWT is the commercial arm of King Abdulaziz City Science and Technology.