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Toyota Supplies BatteriesFor Yellowstone Hybrid

Toyota has supplied re-purposed automobile batteries as the storage component for a hybrid energy system at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch facility in Yellowstone National Park.

SolarWorld solar panels with a capacity of 40 kW now generate the electricity stored by the 208 used Camry Hybrid nickel-metal hydride battery packs that were recovered from Toyota dealers across the U.S. The hybrid batteries provide 85 kWh of energy storage. Indy Power Systems supplied a battery management system for each battery pack.

The project has an estimated output of 67.9 MWh of electricity per year. The system includes a 40 kW propane generator for backup power in the event of emergencies.

On-site micro-hydro turbine systems, capturing energy from a neighboring stream, are scheduled to join the power mix in 2016.

 

PSI Engages Alpha For 100 MW Project In N.C.

Dallas-based solar power company Principal Solar Inc. (PSI) has contracted Alpha Energy as its engineering, procurement and construction partner to build its 100 MW Principal Sunrise IV project, located in Cumberland County, N.C.

The project, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year, will be overseen by Ken Allen, chief operating officer of PSI. Principal Sunrise IV has a fully executed 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Duke Energy to purchase 100% of the electricity produced.

PSI acquired the right to develop the project from Innovative Solar Systems LLC of Asheville, N.C. The project represents PSI’s second major acquisition in North Carolina.

The company says its strategy is to identify attractive solar projects at an early stage in their development, complete their construction and sell their electricity via long-term PPAs.

 

Exosun Supplies Trackers For Mexico Solar Project

France-based Exosun has signed an agreement with Forza Systems, a commercial solar developer and engineering, procurement and construction firm, to supply trackers for a 146 kW photovoltaic project in Sonora, Mexico.

Exosun’s Exotrack HZ horizontal single-axis solar tracker will support 480 solar modules at the site. The project is expected to generate 350 MWh of electricity per year. Exosun says the pilot project is the first step to a multiyear agreement between both companies.

As part of its collaboration with Forza Systems, Exosun will provide operations and maintenance training in order to ensure optimal performance of the trackers.

“We are excited to initiate our partnership with Forza Systems in Mexico,” says Frederic Conchy, president of Exosun. “Installed on desert land, our pilot project in Mexico will be an important showcase for Exosun in this country with huge market potential for solar trackers.”

 

USDA Deploys 1.5 MW Array At Maryland HQ

College Park, Md.-based Amber Enterprises Inc. has completed a 1.5 MW solar photovoltaic array for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) George Washington Carver Center in Beltsville, Md.

The ground-mounted project occupies 10 acres on the facility’s campus and features 4,750 SolarWorld 315 W 72-cell PV modules mounted on a Rack10 Solar racking system. Nextronex supplied the inverters. The array is expected to produce approximately 2.14 GWh of electricity per year.

The four-building campus houses many members of the federal department’s headquarters staff, including its Agricultural Research Service.

 

Mississippi Power Contracts For 53 MW

Mississippi Power is partnering with two solar developers and the U.S. Navy on large-scale solar electric projects with a combined total of approximately 53 MW at two locations in the company’s service territory.

Strata Solar is developing a 50 MW solar farm located on 450 acres at Hattiesburg-Forrest County Industrial Park. Hannah Solar is developing a 3 MW solar facility on a 23-acre site at the Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport.

If approved by the Mississippi Public Service Commission, the projects could be in service by the end of 2016.

Mississippi Power will receive all of the projects’ energy and associated renewable energy credits, which it may use to serve its customers with renewable energy, use for future renewable energy programs or sell at wholesale to third parties. As an intermittent energy resource, the solar facilities will not replace Mississippi Power’s generating plants but will have the capability to provide energy that will help diversify the company’s generation portfolio.

“We are excited to be a part of this partnership to develop cost-effective, utility-scale solar generation to enhance our portfolio,” says Ed Holland, Mississippi Power’s president and CEO.

 

sPower Acquires 26.5 MW Project In Calif.

Utah-based Sustainable Power Group (sPower) has purchased the 26.5 MW Adera photovoltaic project near Fresno, Calif., from France-based Solairedirect.

Solairedirect USA Inc. will design and build the facility, which will be owned and operated by sPower. Groundbreaking on the Adera facility is scheduled for the second quarter, with commercial operation expected by the end of the year.

The project has a 20-year power purchase agreement with Southern California Edison.

 

SoCore Commissions 2.7 MW For FedEx

SoCore Energy has completed its largest commercial rooftop installation to date at the FedEx Ground hub in Hagerstown, Md.

The 2.7 MW system features more than 8,000 photovoltaic panels. FedEx Ground hosts the Maryland hub’s solar array; SoCore owns, operates and maintains the system.

The 590,000-square-foot FedEx Ground hub, which recently completed a 150,000-square-foot expansion, employs more than 900 people.

 

Winaico Supplies PVFor Housing Project

Taiwan-based Winaico has been selected as the module supplier for a large housing project in Berwickshire, Scotland.

The crowdfunding program aiming to install solar on almost 750 residential roofs of the Berwickshire Housing Association (BHA) has raised over 1 million British pounds of the 3.1 million pound-target since fundraising began last fall. Abundance Generation is hosting the crowdfunding effort.

Oakapple Berwickshire plc - a company set up by Oakapple Renewable Energy Ltd. and Edison Energy Ltd., both of Scotland - is installing the solar arrays. BHA residents with solar installed can enjoy the benefits of the solar project without any financial commitments. At present, over 90 systems are operating with an installed capacity of more than 300 kW.

Once completed, Edison Energy will maintain 2,595 kW of solar capacity on behalf of Oakapple Berwickshire, which will own the assets.

 

SunEdison Closes On 97 MW U.K. Portfolio

SunEdison Inc. and subsidiary TerraForm Power Inc. have closed financing on a 97 MW portfolio of utility-scale photovoltaic solar projects in the U.K.

The projects, which were connected earlier this year, consist of eight solar farms in England and Wales with capacities of 6 MW to 19 MW. Financing for the construction of the solar farms was provided by Germany-based Bayerische Landesbank in the form of a nonrecourse loan of 84.6 million British pounds.

EDF Energy will purchase the electricity from the projects’ energy under a 15-year power purchase agreement with SunEdison. TerraForm Power has acquired plants with a capacity of 53 MW from this portfolio. It intends to acquire the remaining 44 MW during the second quarter of this year.

 

Solaflect Helps Vermont Town Go 100% Solar

The Town of Norwich, Vt., says the municipal government’s electricity load is now 100% supplied by solar energy.

Solaflect Energy, which is based in Norwich, developed and installed a 150 kW solar park in Lunenburg, Vt. The community solar park is one of two sources of solar energy dedicated to Norwich’s municipal use. Each Solaflect 4 kW Suspension PV Tracker in the park contains 16 of Canadian Solar’s 250 W modules. The project also incorporates SolarEdge inverters. Solaflect is also providing operations and maintenance services.

The town hall, police and fire station, public works facilities, and the speed limit signs throughout the town are now all covered by the solar project. If the renewable energy certificates (RECs) are sold to third parties, the municipality cannot legally claim to be renewable. In the case of Norwich, the RECs are retired.

“The Town of Norwich’s success in becoming Vermont’s first 100 percent solar-powered municipality exemplifies the many benefits of local, renewable energy,” says Gabrielle Stebbins, executive director of Renewable Energy Vermont, a nonprofit organization. “Projects like these require collaboration and coordination - from smart energy legislation and regulation to local community support and local business know-how.”

 

Georgia’s Dalton Phase 3 Now Online

Georgia Power has completed a 7 MW expansion to the Dalton Solar Plant in Dalton, Ga.

The expansion adds to two previous phases with a combined capacity of 700 kW. Georgia Power leases property for the solar facility from Dalton Utilities, which receives 100% of the output under a 25-year wholesale power purchase agreement. Dalton Utilities maintains all of the renewable energy credits associated with the project.

“Georgia’s status as a national solar leader, as well as the ability to develop projects like this in communities across the state, is thanks to continued collaboration by utilities, government and solar developers,” says Murry Weaver, northwest region vice president for Georgia Power.

 

juwi And AET Complete 3.6 MW Project In Vermont

Colorado-based juwi Inc. has completed a 3.6 MW solar project in Essex Junction, Vt.

Applied Energy Technologies (AET) managed the installation of its Rayport-G ECO ground-mount racking system on the 13-acre site. AET also installed the more than 11,000 solar modules of the array.

The rights to the project were sold by juwi to Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) last year, while juwi retained the roles of engineering, procurement and construction contractor and operator for the facility.

The project, known as the PSEG Essex Solar Energy Center, has a 25-year power purchase agreement with Vermont Electric Power Producers.

 

Radiance Deploys Commercial Solar In N.C.

Georgia-based Radiance Solar has completed a solar energy system for Wilsonart’s facility in Fletcher, N.C.

The roof- and ground-mount system incorporates 2,916 Canadian Solar 305 W modules. GameChange provided the rooftop mounting segment and Cantsink supplied the ground mounts. The project also features 27 Solectria 28 kW inverters.

The Fletcher solar installation is expected to produce approximately 1.25 GWh of electricity per year. The project qualifies for Duke Energy Progress’ net-metering program and North Carolina’s solar tax credit.

Wilsonart, a manufacturer of decorative surfaces for builders, has a company-wide initiative to improve sustainability and reduce carbon emissions.

“As a mature, reliable technology, solar energy helps us meet three objectives: update our infrastructure to maintain our competitiveness in the global economy; protect the health and beauty of the environments where we do business; and save on our energy costs for the next 20 to 30 years,” says Tim O’Brien, Wilsonart’s president and CEO.

 

Etrion Signs PPA For 35% Of Project Salvador

Switzerland-based Etrion Corp. has executed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Chile-based Empresa Electrica ERNC-1 (EE-ERNC-1), a power trading company, for output from the 70 MW Salvador solar power plant in northern Chile.

Salvador is currently operating on a merchant basis, where the electricity produced is sold on the spot market and delivered to the Sistema Interconectado Central electricity network. The PPA covers 35% of the photovoltaic plant’s electricity output. Salvador is expected to produce approximately 200 GWh of electricity per year.

The project is owned 70% by Etrion, 20% by France-based Total and 10% by a local developer.

“We are pleased to announce our first PPA in the Americas and look forward to working with EE-ERNC-1 to supply clean electricity to consumers in Chile,” says Marco A. Northland, Etrion’s CEO. “We continue our efforts to market additional Salvador capacity to other off-takers for complementary long-term contracts.”

 

Vikram Commissions 40 MW PV Plant In India

Vikram Solar has commissioned a 40 MW solar plant for IL&FS Energy Development Co. Ltd. in Madhya Pradesh, India.

The project was awarded to IL&FS by Solar Energy Corp. of India as part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission Phase-II, Batch-I scheme run by the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

The plant is built using Vikram Solar’s Eldora 250 polycrystalline PV modules on over 260 acres of land. In addition to design, engineering, procurement and construction services, Vikram Solar will provide operations and maintenance service for the project under a 10-year contract.

Connected to the national grid via a 132 kV transmission line, the solar power plant is expected to generate an average of 79.2 GWh of electricity per year.

 

NEXTracker Supplies 70 MW Project In Australia

NEXTracker Inc. is shipping 70 MW of its single-axis trackers for a solar photovoltaic installation on the Moree Plains of New South Wales, Australia.

Fotowatio Renewable Ventures is developing the $164 million project, and Elecnor is serving as engineering, procurement and construction contractor. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency is providing additional support, and Clean Energy Finance Corp. is offering commercial terms for debt.

Pedro Fernandez, Elecnor’s project manager, says the NEXTracker system has a foundation design that addresses challenging soil conditions found at the site and minimizes grading and grounding requirements.

 

Suniva Supplies 1.5 MW Rooftop In Florida

Georgia-based Suniva Inc. has supplied its Optimus 330 W modules to Great Bay Distributors in Florida for a 1.5 MW rooftop solar array.

Tampa, Fla.-based Solar Energy Management designed and installed the project, with ARCO/Murray Construction Co. serving as general contractor. The PV project is expected to cut the facility’s power costs by 90%.

In addition to the solar array, the building contains several other energy-saving features, such as LED lighting, insulated concrete tilt-wall panels, and natural gas water heaters and generators.

 

Ameresco To Develop18 MW On Army Base

Massachusetts-based Ameresco Inc. has been awarded a contract for an 18.6 MW solar energy project to be located at the U.S. Army’s facility at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md.

Under the contract, Ameresco will build, own, operate and maintain the large-scale solar facility. Fort Detrick will purchase the renewable electricity from Ameresco through a 25-year power purchase agreement. All electricity from the solar facility will be consumed on-site. Once operational, the facility is designed to serve 12% of Fort Detrick’s total annual electric load requirements.

Ameresco will begin construction on the project this summer, and the solar facility is scheduled to be operational by March 2016. More than 60,000 solar panels will be installed on 67 acres.

“Ameresco is very proud to be a renewable energy partner to the U.S. Army and Fort Detrick through this long-term partnership for solar energy,” says George P. Sakellaris, Ameresco’s president and CEO.

 

Constellation Begins 5.1 MW Project For College

Constellation, a subsidiary of Exelon Corp., has begun construction of a 5.1 MW solar project for the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC).

The solar power system is composed of approximately 16,500 photovoltaic modules, which will be located on carports covering more than 1,400 parking spaces spread among the CCBC’s three main campuses in Dundalk, Essex and Catonsville. Constellation will also install 10 duplex electric vehicle charging stations as part of the project.

The project is expected to generate approximately 6.5 GWh of electricity per year, which is enough to meet approximately 27% of the college’s needs. Constellation will own and operate the solar power systems. The CCBC will purchase the electricity generated by the project under a 20-year power purchase agreement.

 

Kearsarge Finishes 4.9 MW Array In Mass.

Watertown, Mass.-based Kearsarge Energy has completed a 4.9 MW ground-mounted project in Southwick, Mass.

Innovative Engineering Solutions Inc. provided construction services for the project, which incorporates 16,416 300 W modules and occupies approximately 20 acres.

The Kearsarge Southwick project operates under Massachusetts’ SREC II program. All power from the facility will be purchased by West Springfield through a power purchase agreement under virtual net metering. S