A Flurry of Solar Activity | Green Energy News

November 30, 2003 – Vol.8 No.36

A FLURRY OF SOLAR ACTIVITY.

Solar generating capacity is building. And the projects are impressive.

-- Southern California Edison (SCE) has entered into a power purchase agreement with TrueSolar Solutions that will result in the construction of the world’s largest solar generating station - 5 megawatts.

TrueSolar will work with Global Solar Energy to build 20, 250 kilowatt arrays on 40 acres near Barstow, California. To be complete by the end of 2004, the project will provide the lowest-cost wholesale solar photovoltaic available in a grid connection. Visit SCE through Edison International at http://www.edison.com/ , and Global Solar Energy at http://www.globalsolar.com/ .

-- Sun Power & Geothermal Energy has announced that they have been awarded an $8.4 million contract to build a one-megawatt solar photovoltaic system for the Butte County Center in Oroville, California.

The system will incorporate over 9000 Sharp 185-watt Sharp Solar modules in four separate arrays. Mounted on a rooftop, two ground locations and atop a parking shade structure, the system will provide 100 percent of the power for the Butte County Administration Building as well as the East and West Jails.

The system should be complete by June 2004 and will be one of the top-ten largest in the U.S. Visit Sun Power & Geothermal Energy at http://www.sunpowergeothermal.com/ .

-- PowerLight has announced that they have supplied a 106-kilowatt solar system for Sonoma State University’s (Calif.) efficient-energy-award-winning Salazar Hall.

The $20 million remodeling of the Hall with solar system and efficiency improvements reduced the building’s energy consumption to 42 percent below required under California law. The 1200 square foot solar array provides power to the building’s evaporative cooling system which, in itself, reduces energy consumption. Visit PowerLight at http://www.powerlight.com/ .

-- SunPower Philippines has signed an agreement with the Philippine Government to build a $330 million solar wafer factory in an economic development zone south of Manila.

The facility, expected to open next year will have a yearly initial capacity of 25-megawatts of solar cell production that will rise to 150-megawatts eventually. The plant could create 760 jobs and put the Philippines on the map as a world exporter of solar photovoltaic products.

SunPower Philippines is a unit of U.S. based SunPower Corp, which is a division of Cypress Semiconductor. Visit SunPower at http://www.sunpowercorp.com/ .