The Rancho California Water District (RCWD) is going solar. They have hired SunPower to design and construct two solar power systems that will total 1.7 megawatts (mW) at two of their facilities. It is anticipated that the solar systems will save RCWD nearly $8.5 million in energy costs over the next 25 years. Back in 2009, SunPower completed a 1.1 …
Hertz Expands Solar Program
Hertz Corporation is expanding its solar program with the installation of solar electric systems at several new locations. The most recent installation was completed at a Hertz Rental Corporation (HERC) facility in Commerce City, Colorado. The completion of this project makes them the first rental car company in the country to install a solar power facility. The project is a …
Off Shore Wind Park in Germany Powers Up
Germany has inaugurated its first offshore wind farm located in the Baltic Sea. Now that the project is operational, it is the country’s second offshore wind farm to go online. To commemorate the achievement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was onsite to mark the occasion. The 50 megawatt (MW) wind part is expected to generate up to 185 gigawatts hours of …
OPEL Solar Selected for Solar PV Project
The Town of Newtown, located in Connecticut, will soon be the home of a new solar photovoltaic (PV) project. The city’s waste water treatment facility (Newton Facility) is installing a 95 kilowatt (kW) solar system using technology developed by OPEL Solar International. The project received a $320,000 grant from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) to help cover the cost …
ICM Deploys Its Biomass Gasification System
ICM has announced that it is beginning commercial deployment of its biomass gasification system after the successful completion of infrastructure development, research, testing, and an independent engineering review. The company began operating its commercial scale demonstration gasifer back in 2009. The technology has the capacity to covert 150 tons of biomass per day to a syngas that can then be …
Largest School-Based Solar Project Honored
PsomasFMG was honored today for the completion of the country’s largest solar power project at a school. Linda S. Adams, secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA), has awarded the company a Certificate of Achievement in Sustainability for their public-private partnership project for the Antelope Valley Union High School District (AVUHSD). The $52 million, 9.6 megawatt (MW) design-build project …
Energy Efficiency Showcased in E-Power House
You hear about new energy efficient technologies for your home almost every day but how do you incorporate them into your own household? Well that question has been asked and answered in the new E-power House, a 15-foot-tall cutaway model home that debuts on May 1, 2011 at the Da Vinci Science Center located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Visitors will be …
City of Tucson Doubles Solar Power
The City of Tucson, Arizona has doubled its solar power capacity through a completed project in partnership with the Tucson Water Department, Trico Electric and SunPower Corp. The 1-megawatt, ground-mounted solar power system was designed and built by SunPower and located on former agricultural land located within Tuscon Water Department’s underground water storage and recovery facility. In addition to the …
Students in Mojave Desert Learn with Green Power
Students in the Mojave Desert, located 110 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California, are learning with the help of a little green power – solar power. The Muroc Unified School District is the home of three solar installations, totaling 1,700 Coenergy solar modules. One solar system is located on the grounds of the school district office, another at West Boron …
‘Groupon’ Model for Solar Power
A new report released during the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar America Cities Annual Meeting shows that governments and businesses that join together to purchase solar power can lower costs between 10-15 percent. “Purchasing Power: Best Practices Guide for Collaborative Solar Procurement,” was issued by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network (Joint Venture) and the …