Aerojet and Solar Power to expand Sacramento solar system

11 November 2009

Space and jet contractor Aerojet has entered into a joint agreement with solar company Solar Power, to add an additional 2.4MW to the single-axis tracker photovoltaic solar system currently installed at Aerojet’s Sacramento, California, site.

Construction of the 3.6MW solar system at Aerojet’s facility began in June 2009 in the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and will be expanded to 6MW.
Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger said, ‘The addition of this large scale solar project is further evidence that reliable, renewable and pollution free technology is here to stay. And this project is great news for California because it will help us meet our ambitious renewable energy and environmental goals, lead to more homes and businesses powered by sunshine and create new jobs in the cleantech industry.’

The solar array at Aerojet’s facility is a ground-mounted system utilising a single-axis tracking system that follows the sun’s course throughout the day. The additional array will utilise 11,712 SPI 205 watt modules mounted on eight tracking arrays. When completed, the entire system will cover more than 40 acres of the Aerojet site and utilise 22 tracking arrays and 29,344 SPI 205 watt photovoltaic modules. Based on its performance characteristics, the SPI 205 watt module is currently the number one ranked PV solar module in its class with the California Energy Commission.

Scott Neish, president of Aerojet, said, ‘At Aerojet, it really is rocket science.

‘For 60 years, energy management has been at the root of our aerospace operations, and our venture into broader energy management programmes demonstrates the real commitment Aerojet is making towards operating in a more sustainable fashion and reducing our company’s carbon footprint,’ he continued.

Installation of the 2.4MW system addition is expected to be completed in April 2010 and the SMUD is scheduled to interconnect the system to the power grid at that time.
Solar Power’s CEO and chairman, Steve Kircher, said, ‘Prior to this addition, the Aerojet project was already one of the largest system installations in the US this year, and the foundational portion of our growing portfolio and pipeline of multi-megawatt projects. With a 40 per cent increase in the size of the system, the Aerojet site is now host to the largest single-site industrial installation in California.’

Founded in 2005, Solar Power is a vertically integrated solar energy solution provider offering the North American commercial and public sector building markets a complete solution through a single brand. Solar Power operates from its Roseville, California, headquarters and sells its products direct to distributors and turnkey solutions providers throughout Europe, Asia and Australia.

Aerojet is an aerospace and defence leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, defense and armaments markets.

Copyright © 2009 NewNet

Tags: solar

This story was published on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 12:12 pm and is filed under North America, deals, solar. You can follow any responses to article entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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