Industry News

Sun Power To Install 1-Megawatt Solar PV System in Northern California

Sun Power & Geothermal Energy announced earlier this month the award of an $8.4 million contract to design and build a one-megawatt solar PV system for the Butte County Center in Oroville, Calif. When it is commissioned in June 2004, the Butte County solar system will be one of the top-ten largest solar energy systems in the U.S.

Four solar arrays will power three buildings: the Butte County Administration building, the East Jail and the West Jail. The solar system will feature a variety of installation methods including two ground-mount arrays, one rooftop array and solar panels mounted on newly installed parking shade structures for a county parking lot. The solar system will provide 100 percent of the power for the three buildings. Funding for the solar system will be matched 50 percent by a renewable energy rebate from the Self-Generation Incentive Program of PG&E, the local utility, administered by the California Public Utilities Commission.

Sun Power will install over 9,000 Sharp 185-watt solar modules for the system, made by Sharp Manufacturing Company of America. Xantrex inverters will be used for the project. The arrays will be individually monitored with a live, Web-based solar output monitoring system developed by Sun Power. The monitor delivers actual power production in AC watts through a secure Web site. Sun Power customers view the live data online to verify system performance, energy cost savings and ROI. For additional information, visit www.sunpowergeothermal.com.

CRS Launches Initiative To Place Green-e Logo on Consumer Products

The Green-e Renewable Energy Certification Program of the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) recently announced its launch of a new initiative to place the Green-e logo on packages of consumer products manufactured by companies purchasing certified renewable energy. With 10,000 businesses and 110,000 households using Green-e certified renewable energy, the Green-e logo has become the leading symbol for certified renewable energy, according to CRS.

"Consumers are accustomed to seeing the recycling logo on product packaging," said Gabe Petlin, Green-e program manager. "Now, when you see the Green-e logo on a product you'll know that a significant portion of the energy required to produce that product came from or was offset by high-quality renewable energy."

Some of the businesses that have already applied for authorized use of the Green-e logo include White Wave (Silk brand soy milk products), Interface Fabrics Group, Choice Organic Teas and Lundberg Family Farms (rice). For additional information, visit CRS at www.resource-solutions.org or learn more about Green-e at www.green-e.org.

APS Doubles Purchase Credit for Solar Systems

In an effort to further encourage its customers to use solar energy, APS will double its current purchase credit to customers buying and installing solar systems under Arizona's Environmental Portfolio Standard. Effective January 1, APS will pay $4 per watt—up from $2 per watt—for solar systems that are tied to APS' electric grid, up to 50 percent of the system's cost. In addition, APS will make a one-time $700 purchase credit to customers who install solar water heating systems, up from $350.

In addition to the APS payment, Arizona residents can receive a solar energy credit from the state of Arizona equal to 25 percent of the cost of the system, not to exceed $1,000. For example, a 1,000-watt (one kilowatt) grid-tied solar rooftop system that may cost $10,000 installed could be purchased for $5,000 with APS' credit ($4,000) and the state credit ($1,000) factored in. Qualifying systems must have all new components, be installed by licensed contractors and must meet APS interconnection requirements. For more information, visit www.aps .com.

LADWP Moves Forward With BioConverter Renewable Energy Project

The Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners approved an agreement earlier this month to purchase enough renewable energy to serve up to 40,000 homes—potentially expanding the city's supply of green power generation and displacing about $12 million in natural gas cost per year. The board's action, which requires approval by the Los Angeles City Council, essentially commits the city to purchasing 40 megawatts of new renewable energy from BioConverter LLC for approximately $16 million per year for 20 years, beginning in fiscal year 2008-2009. A biomass digestion plant would be built by BioConverter Los Angeles LLC at no cost to the city, and is expected to be operational by 2008.

Under the purchase agreement, the department will not incur any cost toward developing or building the facility, but is committed to purchasing the power at the rate of $48 per megawatt-hour once the project is built and operating. The agreement requires BioConverter Los Angeles LLC to find a suitable location for the new facility, subject to the city's approval.

The company would assume responsibility for developing and constructing the biomass anaerobic digestion facility, including obtaining all necessary permits and required environmental approvals, as well as reimbursing LADWP for constructing a substation and transmission lines to connect the plant to the city's power system. The LADWP would operate the power block under an operations and management agreement, while BioConverter LLC will operate the anaerobic process. Once constructed, the bioconverter facility would process 3,000 tons daily of lawn and other green clippings through an anaerobic digestion system, which then creates the biogas that would supply renewable power to the city's power grid. For more information, visit www.ladwp.com.

Turkey Farm Uses 100 Percent Wind Power To Grow Turkeys

Plainville Turkey Farms and Community Energy has announced that 100-percent wind-generated energy from New York will be used to grow turkeys on Plainville Turkey Farms, New York's largest turkey farm. In fact, at Thanksgiving, customers saw Plainville Farms turkeys with the NewWind Energy logo printed on their packaging.

The new labels appear on six Plainville Turkey products and feature the NewWind Energy logo of leading wind energy marketer Community Energy, who is supplying the wind power. The label allows Plainville Farms to show its customers that it uses fuel-free, pure wind energy to grow their turkeys. Plainville Turkey Farms is buying 708,000 kWhs of wind energy from New York wind farms, which accounts for 100 percent of the electricity required to grow the Plainville turkeys. To find out more, visit www.communityenergy.biz.

Shell Solar in EUR2.7 Million China Solar Energy Supply Pact

Shell Solar GmbH, a unit of Royal Dutch Shell Group, has won a EUR2.7 million contract to supply solar-powered electricity to villages in northwestern China's Xinjiang region and the southwestern province of Yunnan. The contract commits Shell to installing centralized solar power systems with capacities totaling 200 kWp for 1,300 households in 26 villages in Xinjiang and Yunnan next year, according to Shell. The contract is the pilot phase of a larger solar electrification program under the Chinese government's Brightness Program, which also covers villages in the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai, as well as the Ningxia and Inner Mongolia regions.

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