Commercial Green Power News: October 1-24, 2011

Listed below is a review of major commercial green power projects and announcements during the first three weeks of October 2011.Email Eric Paul, e.paul@altaterra.net, to subscribe to theCommercial Green Power News blog.

California Department of Corrections partners with SunEdison to develop 25 MW of solar

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has announced a partnership with SunEdison to install 25 MW of solar at four facilities. The four installations are estimated to save the CDCR more than $57 million over the 20-year contract. A second phase could add another 7.5 MW of capacity at a larger site by the end of 2012.

Prison and correction facilities are an excellent candidate for solar electric, solar thermal, and other onsite renewables system. At the end of 2009, 1,613,740 people were incarcerated in more than 4,300 prisons throughout the United States according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin. Correctional facilities have a constant demand for energy to light, heat, and operate these facilities. Offsetting some of this demand for energy with renewable sources can reduce energy costs and save taxpayers millions of dollars.

Walmart installs micro-wind, more solar

The Lanoka Harbor Walmart in New Jersey is looking to install 10 wind turbines from OmniWind Energy Systems on existing light poles in its parking lot. Each turbine will produce more than 4,000 kWh annually, but will only make up less than 1 percent of the facilities energy usage. The project is currently under review by the county zoning board. The Lanoka Harbor store is also installing a450 kW solar system, which will meet 70 percent of the electricity required for the facility.

The installation is just the latest in a string of renewable energy projects by the world’s largest retailer. Last month, Walmart also announced that they would be adding solar at60 storesin California. According to Walmart's Sustainability Communications Director Brooke Buchanan, nationwide, including Puerto Rico, Walmart has 86 solar projects commissioned, 2 microwind, 24 fuel cells, and an additional 114 solar projects under construction, in design and/or permitting

Construction company installs solar in voluntary compliance with California’s Global Warming Solutions Act

Granite Construction Inc. completed a 1.2 MW solar system at its Coalinga, CA facility, as the company announced that it is a voluntary early adopter of California's Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32). The installation is expected to reduce the facility’s carbon footprint by 50 percent. The installation is the largest to use distributed power electronics, according to eIQ, which provided its Energy vBoost DC Parallel System for the project. Granite Construction has two other solar facilities: a 318 kw system in Indio, CA and a 159 kw system in Tuscon, AZ. 

Cleveland’s Progressive Field to install innovative 15-foot wind turbine

The Cleveland Indians have partnered with Cleveland State University's Fenn College of Engineering to install a 15-foot-tall wind turbine at Progressive Field. The helical wind turbine uses a "wind amplification structure,” which constantly rotates to optimize wind energy generation.

Hospital installs solar thermal system

Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, CT will install 70 evacuated-tube solar thermal collectorsto meet 65 percent of the hospital’s energy use. The $550,000 system is being financed in part by a $323,000 grant from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund.

Other corporate and commercial solar announcements

Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB) announced that it will lease 14 acres of land at its Sacramento, CA facility for the construction of a 2.3 MW solar facility. The company will purchase 100 percent of the electricity, which will provide 10 percent of the electricity used at the facility. Last month, Campbell’s also announced a 9.8 MW solar system at its Napoleon, OH facility.

Nestle Purina unveiled a 427 kw solar system at its Flagstaff, AZ pet food manufacturing facility. The system, which was installed by REC Solar, is the largest private solar array in Northern Arizona.

Perdue Inc. completed a 5,040 panel solar electric system on six acres adjacent to the company’s Salisbury, MD corporate headquarters. The installation was the final phase of nearly 12,000 panels installed at two company facilities. At peak production the systems will meet up to 90 percent of each facility’s demand for electricity.

A 240 kw rooftop solar system was installed at Yuasa Battery Inc.'s manufacturing facility in Laureldale, Pa.

The Dependable Company, a warehouse and freight services provider, has installed a 1.2 MW PV system at its corporate headquarters in Los Angeles, CA.

The Northpoint Industrial Center, a distribution center, in Elizabeth, NJ inaugurated a 1.26 MW solar facility. Financing for the $9 million solar facility was provided in part by the PSE&G Solar Loan Program, which typically finances 50 percent of a system and accepts the solar renewable energy certificates that the system generates as payment for the loan.

The Westgate Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in Raleigh, NC will soon host a 98.7 kW solar system on its service bay rooftop. The 420 panel system is will be completed by the end of October and is expected to pay back the initial investment in five years. 

Republic Services Inc., a disposal services provider, installed a 1 MW solar system at its Hickory Ridge landfill in Georgia.

The Brick Companies (TBC) has entered into an agreement with Standard Solar to have a 191 kW ground mounted solar system developed on its Queenstown Harbor, MD golf course clubhouse and cart barn.

Public institution solar announcements

Medway Middle School in Medway, MA installed a 386 kW solar system, which is expected to meet 50 percent of the school’s electricity demand.

The County of Middlesex will host a 6.7 MW ground mounted solar system at its Middlesex Apple Orchard Complex in North Brunswick Township, NJ. The system will meet 100 percent of the site’s demand for electricity. The county will save $725,000 annually at the beginning of the PPA, but that figure will increase to $1,150,000 over the course of the 15-year PPA.

Construction of a 6.1 MW ground mounted solar system has begun at the Lawrenceville School’s campus in NJ. The system will generate 8,600MWh of electricity annually and will supply 90 percent of the electricity needs of the facility.

The Hemet Unified School District entered into a partnership with Tioga Energy to have 4.4 MW of solar installed at 17 different sites. When completed the projects are expected to save roughly $300,000 in energy costs annually.

The Neuse River Wastewater Treatment Facility in Raleigh, NC will install a 1.3 MW ground mounted solar facility on 10 acres of adjacent land.

The City of Dinuba, CA will install a 1.15 MW solar facility at the city's wastewater treatment plant.

Camp Perry Ohio National Guard Base in Port Clinton, OH will host a 538 kW solar system.

Solar at colleges and universities explodes, more projects announced

Colleges and universities across the United States are continuing to install solar at a rapid pace. The higher education market in the US has exploded, growing by 450 percent from 2008-2011 according to the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education(AASHE). According to the AASHE’s new Campus Solar Photovoltaic Installations Database, there are currently more than 425 PV systems at 277 campuses with more than 124 MW of total installed capacity installed in the US. 

This month saw the completion and announcement of a number of new projects as well.

A 356 kW solar facility on top of a parking structure will provide San Diego State University’s Aztec Student Union with solar power. The array will provide 50 percent of the student union’s electricity needs.

West Valley College in Saratoga, CA dedicated a 1.1 MW system at its West Valley College campus. More than 2,640 panels were installed in two-and-half months and are expected to save the college $9 million in electricity costs over the 25-year life of the system.

The University of Minnesota will use $230,000 from a grant to install a 38.4 kW solar PV system on the University Office Plaza Building. The system will save three to five percent of the buildings electric consumption.

Rider University has commissioned a new 740 kW solar installation located on a 3.2 acre field on the Mercer County NJ campus.

Construction on a 118 kW carport system at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA has begun. When completed the installation will be the largest installation in Virginia according to the press release. 

Davidson College will install a 378 solar electric system and a 64 flat-plate collector solar hot water system on its Baker Sports Complex.

The University of Arizona will become the first college campus to host a solar cogeneration system, which produces hot water and electricity, from CoGenra. 50 Cogenra SunDeck(R)modules will be installed on the roof of Villa De Puente dormitory on Highland Avenue.