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PSE&G Completes Its Largest Solar Project To Date

New Jersey-based utility Public Service Electric and Gas Co. (PSE&G) has announced that its L&D Solar Farm is online. The 12.93 MW installation represents PSE&G’s largest solar farm to date and is one of the biggest landfill solar projects in the U.S.

The project consists of 41,720 solar panels covering 53 acres of landfill space spanning the towns of Eastampton, Lumberton and Mount Holly, N.J. Waste Management of New Jersey Inc. owns the L&D Landfill, and PSE&G owns and operates the solar farm as part of its Solar 4 All Program. juwi served as the project’s engineering, procurement and construction contractor.

“The L&D Solar Farm is another great example of how landfill-based community solar can increase renewable energy in New Jersey while also giving new purpose to land that would otherwise have very limited development opportunities,” says Courtney McCormick, vice president of renewables and energy solutions for PSE&G. “We have identified dozens of additional landfills that are suitable for solar development and stand ready and willing to return more of these sites to productive use through solar development.”

The L&D Solar Farm is the 28th grid-connected centralized Solar 4 All project and the eighth built on a landfill or brownfield site. PSE&G says the program has now utilized 170 acres of landfill and brownfield space by installing more than 150,000 solar panels capable of generating 45 MW of solar power, which is enough to power about 7,500 homes annually.

“Waste Management is proud to be part of this project with PSE&G,” states Tara Hemmer, vice president of Waste Management’s greater Mid-Atlantic area. “The L&D Solar Farm is an environmental and economic asset for the region that expands the use of clean, renewable energy in New Jersey.”

“We are excited to have deployed our engineering and construction expertise to a significant landfill redevelopment application,” adds Michael Martin, CEO of juwi. “juwi, Waste Management, PSE&G and other local stakeholders worked diligently and in harmony to maximize this project on landfill space in a manner that honors important environmental considerations and requirements.”

Solar 4 All is a 125 MW community solar program that utilizes rooftops, parking lots, utility poles and landfills/brownfields for large-scale, grid-connected solar projects. Currently, 114 MW of that 125 MW total are in service.

Since 2009, PSE&G says it has invested more than $500 million on the program and created more than 2,000 jobs. For example, at the height of construction, approximately 190 people were on-site working on the L&D solar project in a range of jobs, including electricians, engineers, carpenters, heavy equipment operators and laborers.

 

Co-ops Partner On 2.25 MW Minnesota Solar Project

Great River Energy, which provides wholesale electric service to 28 distribution cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin, is developing a large-scale solar project with the Rockford, Minn.-based Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association (WH).

Partially replacing a terminated contract Great River Energy had for fossil-fuel electricity generation, the 2.25 MW Dickinson Solar Project will be a new generation resource to provide wholesale power to WH.

“This project responds to our members’ interest in more renewable energy offerings and allows us to diversify our power resource mix,” states Steve Nisbet, WH vice president of external relations and power solutions.

“This project provides another example of how Great River Energy’s power supply continues to evolve and include more renewable resources in response to member demand,” adds project manager Andy Bergrud of Great River Energy.

The Dickinson project will be the largest single solar resource to date for both cooperatives.

The project will be located on 13 acres of land in Buffalo, Minn., already owned by Great River Energy and consist of 8,360 solar panels manufactured by Heliene. Hudson, Wis.-based Energy Concepts will serve as the project’s principal contractor. Construction is set to begin in late March, with full commercial operation expected in early July.

 

DTE Energy Finishes A Trio Of Solar Projects

Detroit-based DTE Energy has completed three new solar projects in Avoca, Brownstown and Romulus, Mich., bringing the company’s total number of utility-owned solar arrays in operation to 26.

“DTE Energy is proud to be leading Michigan as the state’s largest investor and producer of both wind and solar energy,” says Irene Dimitry, vice president of business and development at DTE Energy. “Since 2009, DTE has invested more than $67 million in solar energy, supporting a cleaner, greener environment and a more sustainable future for our communities.”

The three new projects include the following:

DTE’s Greenwood Energy Center: At 1.95 MW, the new array in Avoca, located northwest of Port Huron, can produce enough energy to power 329 homes and became the largest active solar array in Michigan when it began operations on Jan. 29, according to DTE.

DTE Romulus Solar Array: Located on Citrin Drive near Interstate 94 and Middlebelt Road, this array can produce 750 kW, enough to power 126 homes; it started operations on Dec. 21, 2015.

DTE Brownstown Township: The 500 kW array, located on Pennsylvania Road near Interstate 75 and Pennsylvania Road, can produce enough power for 84 homes and became operational on Dec. 29, 2015.

In addition to DTE’s 26 currently operating solar arrays, the company has four more solar projects under development, including an array in Ypsilanti, at the GM Warren Transmission plant, and two large-scale arrays in Lapeer. The larger of the Lapeer solar projects is 30 MW. The addition of these projects will help position DTE Energy to exceed a state mandate requiring electric utilities to supply 10% of their electricity from renewable energy sources every year from 2015 to 2029.

Today, DTE’s entire renewable energy portfolio, including solar, wind and biomass, is capable of generating nearly 1 GW. The portfolio includes facilities owned and operated by DTE Energy, along with contracts to purchase power from third-party developers in Michigan.

 

Energy Dept. Funds Solar Projects At Federal Facilities

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced new funding for solar projects at federal facilities. Currently, federal agencies are working toward a goal of achieving 30% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2025.

The $2.85 million in funding also covers one biomass project. Including the cost shared with the industry, the DOE says the total investment for the new projects is nearly $75 million.

The agency adds its Federal Energy Management Program is leading the way to bring clean energy projects to federal facilities, and the new Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies selections include the following:

U.S. Department of State (Overseas Diplomatic Posts): This 11.9 MW solar PV system bundles together solar projects from 200 kW to 8 MW at 10 different overseas U.S. diplomatic posts into the State Department’s first multi-site energy savings performance contract (ESPC).

U.S. Department of Agriculture (U.S. Forest Service): This 760 kW project will deploy roof-, ground- or carport-mounted solar panels, ranging from 6 kW to 100 kW, at 11 installation sites across Oregon and Washington. The project will provide 100% of the electricity needs for four sites and more than 50% of the electricity needs at the remaining seven locations.

U.S. Department of Justice (Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA] in El Paso, Texas): This 790 kW solar PV installation combines a ground and carport system at the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), providing 30% of EPIC’s energy use using the ENABLE ESPC contract, which offers a standardized, streamlined process for small federal facilities to install targeted energy conservation measures in six months or less. The project will be the DEA’s first renewable energy system and first ESPC.

U.S. Department of Defense (U.S. Marine Corps Installation Command in Albany, Ga.): This 10 MW biomass steam turbine generator will reduce annual electricity consumption by approximately 4,600 MWh annually.

 

Minnesota Power To Build Its First Utility-Scale Solar Project

Regulators have given the go-ahead for Minnesota Power’s plans to install a 10 MW solar energy array at Camp Ripley, Minnesota National Guard’s base on the southwestern edge of the utility’s service territory.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved the $30 million project, and Minnesota Power says the installation will help the utility achieve about one-third of its requirement under the state’s solar energy standard. The standard, enacted in 2013 by the state legislature, requires 1.5% of a public utility’s applicable retail sales to come from solar energy sources by 2020.

“Both Minnesota Power and the National Guard are on the front lines of providing cleaner energy forms,” says Al Hodnik, chairman, president and CEO of ALLETE, Minnesota Power’s parent company. “It’s exciting to partner with Camp Ripley in meeting its renewable energy goals as we build our very first utility-scale solar project.”

Construction is expected to begin in May, and the project is slated for completion by November. The solar array will utilize about 80 acres of underutilized property at the National Guard’s 53,000-acre regional training facility near Little Falls, Minn.

It will consist of up to 120,000 thin-film photovoltaic panels manufactured by First Solar, and Minnesota Power has contracted with engineering and construction company M+W Group to build the array; Hunt Electric is a primary subcontractor, and other subcontractors are expected to join the project.

The solar array, which Minnesota Power says is the largest solar project on any National Guard base in the U.S., is part of a broader partnership between the utility and the National Guard. In an agreement signed in 2014, the two parties outlined plans for identifying ways Camp Ripley could reduce its energy usage and provide enhanced energy security for the military site.

The project is designed to allow Camp Ripley to use the energy produced by the array during emergencies when the electric grid is down, providing enhanced energy security for the military site. At most times, the solar energy produced will be utilized by Minnesota Power’s customers.

 

IKEA Expands Rooftop Solar Array At Detroit-Area Store

Home furnishings giant IKEA has officially plugged in an expanded solar energy array atop its Detroit-area store, which opened nine years ago in Canton, Mich. The 40,000-square-foot solar panel addition makes the store’s array 25% larger and consists of a 242.1 kW system built with 781 panels.

This solar expansion sits atop a store extension completed in spring 2015. Now, IKEA Canton’s total 1,219.7 kW solar installation of 4,941 panels will generate 1,408,445 kWh of clean electricity annually.

“We are pleased our newly expanded store created the opportunity to extend the rooftop solar array,” says Matt Hunsicker, store manager. “We are proud to make this investment, to grow our local sustainable footprint and to contribute to the IKEA goal of energy independence.”

For the development, design and installation of this store’s enhanced solar power system, IKEA selected Inovateus Solar LLC, a solar power distributor and integrator specializing in large-scale installations.

Expanding this array contributes to the IKEA solar presence at nearly 90% of its U.S. locations, with a total generation goal of 40 MW. IKEA notes it owns and operates each of its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings - as opposed to a solar lease or power purchase agreement - and globally allocated $1.9 billion to invest in renewable energy through 2015.

Consistent with the goal of being energy independent by 2020, IKEA has installed more than 700,000 solar panels on buildings across the world and owns approximately 300 wind turbines, including 104 in the U.S.

 

Entergy New Orleans Breaks Ground On Solar/Storage Pilot

Entergy New Orleans Inc. recently hosted elected officials, community leaders and other dignitaries at existing company property to break ground on what the utility says is the city’s first utility-scale solar project. The 1 MW pilot project, which is expected to be in service by mid-2016, will consist of over 4,000 solar panels and integrate battery-storage technology.

“This pilot project is of great value to our customers,” says Charles Rice, president and CEO of Entergy New Orleans. “One of the issues with solar panels is availability on cloudy days, at night or generating enough electricity at the right time of day when energy usage peaks. Our pilot project will evaluate the ability to store and deliver solar energy to the electricity grid when customers need it - not just when the sun is shining.”

Blattner Energy, a diversified power generation contractor, will handle construction of the New Orleans project, and local panel installation company South Coast Solar will assist.

Entergy Corp., the utility’s parent company, says it is working across its operating companies to gain the necessary information and expertise to help make renewables a viable, cost-effective option for customers. Besides the New Orleans project, other solar projects are under way in Arkansas and Mississippi.