Enterprise Green Power News: First Solar Hot Air PPA, Military Solar Gains Momentum, and More

The end of November has come with a string of new and interesting solar project announcements.

• The adoption of solar at military installations continued to gain momentum, as Bank of America stepped in to provide a $1 billion loan for SolarCity’s SolarStrong project to bring 300 MW to military residences and two megawatt-plus installations were completed.
• Manufacturing and warehouse facilities continued to be excellent candidates for 500 kW+ systems, particularly in states with strong solar incentives. 
• L’Oreal installed its third solar system in 2011.  The 13-kW array is the first ground-mounted system at an industrial facility in Arkansas.
• Prestage Foods in North Carolina will host one of the largest solar thermal systems.  Hot water from the 2,100-collector system is being provided to Prestage with no upfront costs as part of a solar thermal power purchase agreement with FLS Energy.
• A New Hampshire school entered into the first solar hot air power purchase agreement.

Solar at Military Facilities Gains Momentum

There was big news this week for one of the most ambitious projects to bring rooftop solar to military housing.  Bank of America stepped in to provide SolarCity with a $1 billion loan to install up to 300 MW of solar capacity on military housing in 33 states over 5 years.  Earlier this year, SolarCity lost a conditional loan guarantee from the US government for 80% of a $344 million loan to support the project in the wake of Solyndra’s collapse.   The project has been scaled back slightly from a goal of 160,000 to 120,000 solar installations.  

In other military renewable energy generation news, CoGenra’s solar cogeneration system was chosen as one of the twenty-seven projects for the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP).  The ESTCP program seeks to monitor, test, and evaluate emerging energy solutions in a real world environment.  CoGenra has received $2 million to install its solar electric and hot water cogeneration system at two military sites. 

This month also featured a number of new solar project announcements and completions.     

A 1.5 MW solar PV system is being installed at the Bachelor Enlisted Quarters complex at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) in Twentynine Palms, Calif. 

A 2.8 MW solar installation has been completed at two U.S. Coast Guard locations in Puerto Rico.  The installation consists of 200 residential rooftops, six commercial rooftops, five carport arrays, and three ground-mount arrays. 

The U.S. Army Reserve base in Arden Hills, MN is nearing completion on the largest solar installation in Minnesota in 2011.  The 350+ panel system is expected to save the center up to $12,000 in electricity costs annually.  

The Oregon Military Department announced Monday that 134 kW of solar PV will be installed on the rooftops of three warehouse facilities at the Oregon Emergency Response Center.

In December, construction is set to start on a 13.78-MW solar facility at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, CA.  The system from SunPower will provide more than 30 percent of China Lake's annual energy load, helping to reduce costs by an estimated $13 million.

Manufacturing Facilities and Warehouses Continue as Strong Targets for Solar

Warehouse and manufacturing facilities, which typically have ample roof and ground space for larger on-site solar projects, continue to be attractive for solar.  A number of organizations announced new on-site solar systems at the end of November. 

A 3.25-MW rooftop-mounted solar system has been installed at the United Stationers Supply Co. warehouse in Cranbury, NJ.  

US Foods in Phoenix, AZ installed a 905 kW solar PV system.  The array is expected to provide 15 percent of the division’s annual electricity needs and is US Foods’ third solar installation.  The system is being leased from Del Solar.   

Annabelle Candy Company in Hayward, CA installed a 439-kW rooftop system, which consists of more than 1,400 SunPower modules.  The system will offset 90 percent of the facility’s electricity costs and save $6.5 million in energy over the 25-year life of the system.  

GloPak Corp. announced the installation of a 3,454-panel, 1-MW roof- and ground-mounted solar system at its South Plainfield, NJ manufacturing facility.  The system is expected to save $180,000 annually on electricity costs.   

L’Oreal installs its third solar system of 2012 

L'Oréal USA installed a 60-panel, 13-kW solar array at its North Little Rock, AR manufacturing facility.  While a solar array under 100 kW would hardly be news in many states, the commencement brought the governor of Arkansas and mayor of North Little Rock.  According to a L’Oreal spokesperson, the array is the first industrial ground-mounted solar array in Arkansas. The system was funded in part by North Little Rock Electricity, which provided $60,000 for the solar panels, and a $26,000 rebate from Arkansas’ energy office.  L’Oreal was only responsible for $50,000 of the $136,000 project. 

The project is L’Oreal’s third installation this year.  Earlier, it installed a 1-MW array at their Franklin, NJ manufacturing center and a 1.4-MW system at its Piscataway, NJ manufacturing plant.  According to the company, twenty percent of its electricity used globally last year was from renewable sources. This is part of L’Oreal’s commitment to reduce GHG 50 percent of 2005 levels by 2015. 

First Solar Hot Air Power Purchase Agreement Signed at New Hampshire School 

Sanborn Regional High School in New Hampshire signed the first power purchase agreement for hot air provided by ultra-efficient solar thermal hot air collectors.  The ten-year contract will provide the district with 1,4000mm BTU’s of thermal energy and is expected to save at least $17,000 annually off the schools fuel-oil heating bills. Enerconcept Technologies is providing four Lubi™ wall-mounted solar hot air collectors.  The collectors will cover 8,000 sq ft of the school’s southern wall and provide a majority of the school’s heated make-up air requirements.  Revolution Energy is providing financing and Shift Energy is installing and connecting the system to the school’s HVAC system. 

Turkey Farm to Host Mega Solar Thermal System

Construction has begun on a solar thermal system at Prestage Foods in St. Pauls, NC.  The solar thermal system will provide the 260,000 sq ft turkey processing facility with an estimated 100,000 gallons of hot water per day.  The 2,100 ground-mounted flat-plate collectors will be installed in three phases, each consisting of 700 collectors.  Phases one and two are expected to be complete by March 2012.  The system required a custom designed pump house and solar storage system, which can provide hot water for the facility 24 hours a day.  FLS Energy will own and operate the system and sell Prestage energy for water heating at a rate below the cost to heat water from propane.  

Other Stories

Mission College in Santa Clara, CA dedicated a 1.1-MW parking lot canopy solar system, which is expected to save the school $8.5 million in electricity costs over the 25-year life of the system.  The system is one of seven solar installations completed by SunPower at educational facilities in the last month. The company has also built systems for community colleges including Bakersfield College, Mendocino College, Napa Valley College, Ohlone College, the Foothill-DeAnza Community College District, and the Los Angeles Community College District.

Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) has installed a 620-kW PV system and a 54-kW solar hot water system.  The combined savings of the two projects is expected to be up to $1.6 million over twenty years.

The Maryland Port Administration will have 750 kW of solar installed on two building rooftops by Pepco Energy Services Inc., as part of a $27.6 million energy-saving maintenance contract. 

Spiral Binding Co. in Totowa, NJ will host an 825-kW solar project installed by Amberjack Solar Energy. 

A 102-kW solar system is being installed at the Kaiser Permanente's Westside Medical Center, which is under construction in Hillsboro, OR.  The solar array is part of the building’s effort to obtain LEED Gold certification.  

The York-Chester Plaza building in Gastonia, NC will host a 740-kW rooftop PV system.  The National Renewable Energy Corp. is leasing the roof space from Gaston County, and will sell power generated from the system to Duke Energy. 

A recently installed 843-kW solar PV system at the Ice House of New Jersey in Hackensack will meet 22% of its electricity needs.   

The University of Texas San Antonio has installed a 140-kW solar PV system on its University Center South facility, and a 30 kW PV system at the campus Engineering Building.  

A 157-kW solar system, including two solar-powered EV charging stations, have been installed at the Twin Hills Unified School District in Sebastopol, CA. 

The Laredo Bus Facility in Decatur, GA has installed a 1.2-MW solar canopy, which is the second largest at U.S. transit system according to a press release from Suniva.

The East Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, CA installed a 1-MW solar parking canopy this week.  The array is expected to save $1.3 million in energy costs over the twenty-year power purchase agreement.  San Diego County has installed eleven other solar arrays at other county facilities, including the North County Regional Center, Fallbrook Community Center and Ramona Library. 

Toms River Regional School District is in Ocean Beach, NJ is nearing the completion of solar installations on eleven schools and two other buildings owned by the Board of Education.  This is the second phase of solar projects that the school has completed.  In 2004, the district installed solar on seven facilities as part of the Smart Schools Initiative.  By replacing the schools’ roofs at the same time as installing solar, the school estimates that it saved $5 million.  When phase two is complete, the district will have 6.2 MW of installed solar capacity.  The project is estimated to save the school district $12.15 million in energy costs over the next 15 years.