Posted on 20 June 2014. Tags: Photovoltaic power plant, solar power plant
First Wind finalized four 20-year power purchase agreements with Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp and part of Berkshire Hathaway Energy. As part of the power purchase agreements, Rocky Mountain Power will buy the output of the planned 320 MW (AC) “Four Brothers” solar power development, which includes four, separate fully permitted 80 MW (AC) project sites.
Rocky Mountain Power’s purchase is made in connection with its obligation under the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, or PURPA, and follows seven similar PURPA agreements for First Wind’s 20 MW (AC) “Seven Sisters” projects. These four solar power projects will be located at sites in Beaver and Iron Counties.
The “Four Brothers” solar power portfolio, which combined would be the largest solar development in Utah to date, includes four separate 80 MW (AC) solar photovoltaic projects, three of which are to be sited in Beaver County and one that will be located in Iron County. Once complete, the combined generating capacity of the four projects will be more than 800,000 MWh per year, or equivalent to the electricity use of about 90,000 Utah homes per year.
With the start of major construction slated to begin in 2015 and a target completion date in 2016, the projects will create about 500 construction jobs. In addition, about $66 million in direct property and income taxes will be generated by the project over 20 years. These jobs and property taxes will spur Southern Utah’s economic growth, in particular within the rural communities of Beaver and Iron Counties.
Combined, the “Four Brothers” and “Seven Sisters” solar project portfolio in Utah will be by far the largest collection of solar projects to be developed by First Wind’s new solar division, First Wind Solar Group. Established to explore solar energy opportunities near the company’s wind projects in the West, Hawaii and the Northeast, First Wind Solar Group recently completed construction of a 3 MW (AC) project in Millbury, Mass. and a combined 14 MW (AC) solar project in Warren, Mass. The company is also developing a 20 MW (AC) solar project in Mililani, Hawaii.
Posted in Solar Energy
Posted on 17 June 2014. Tags: Photovoltaic power plant, solar power plant
SOFOS Jamaica Ltd., a Premium Partner of the German PV system integrator IBC SOLAR AG, has unveiled what it calls the largest solar power plant in Jamaica to date. The 1.6 MWp plant intended for own consumption is providing The Grand Palladium Resort & Spa with solar energy. The project represents a total investment of USD 3.4 million by the hotel, which is expected to see a full return on its investments after 4 years and USD 21.9 million in energy savings after 30 years.
The Kingston-based project developer SOFOS Jamaica Ltd. is helping Jamaican businesses become less dependent on the national grid. The plant in Hanover is the first major project for SOFOS in Jamaica and marks a starting point for many other projects in cooperation with different Jamaican companies that will begin soon. IBC SOLAR supported the project developer with its many years of experience in international business and provided solar modules and other components for the construction.
“The Jamaican government welcomes investments in renewable energy solutions,” said Phillip Paulwell, the Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, at the unveiling ceremony. He told the gathering that solar power will become the cheapest source of energy by 2030, and that Jamaica can continue to benefit from this market trend.
Her Excellency Celsa Nuño, the Spanish Ambassador to Jamaica, agreed, adding that this project makes perfect economic sense for a country like Jamaica with high energy costs.
According to David Pijuan, business development manager for SOFOS Jamaica, the self-consumption solar PV system installed at the Grand Palladium Hotel and Spa is the first in the Caribbean with a blocking system that allows the operator to privately consume the power from the solar plant without feeding excess energy to the grid. The PV power systems used by SOFOS Jamaica were specially developed for the Caribbean and are lightweight, low-maintenance and able to resist up to category 4 hurricanes. The PV systems are also equipped with SOFOS’ customised software, which allows instant access to information via the Internet as well as system error alerts and notifications by e-mail or text message.
Posted in Renewable Energy, Solar Energy
Posted on 13 June 2014. Tags: solar power plant
The Greece- Colombia football match to be played on Saturday will represent a first in World Cup terms- it will be the first time the prestigious tournament will be played in a solar-powered stadium.
Mineirão stadium will be powered by Martifer Solar who built the rooftop PV plant as part of the Minas Solar 2014 program for CEMIG and their partners, German bank kfW and Minas Arena.
The 1.4 MW plant will offset 139.7 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, which is sufficient energy to power more than 2,700 inhabitants in Brazil on an annual basis
The stadium at Belo Horizonte will host six games of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, including a semi-final match on 8th July. According to a recent statement from CEMIG, the 1.4 MW PV installation at Mineirão stadium is the first investment of its type, as well as being the first large-scale solar power facility in operation within the country of Brazil.
The installation at the Mineirão stadium was built on an area of approximately 10,000 m2, which covers more than 85% of the stadium’s rooftop. There are 5,910 modules installed in a fixed position, which totals an estimated production capacity of more than 1.6 GWh on an annual basis. With this capacity, the PV plant will offset 139.7 tons of carbon dioxide each year, which is sufficient energy to power more than 2,700 inhabitants in Brazil on an annual basis.
Martifer Solar has been operating in Brazil since 2012, and is currently one of the largest PV players in the market.
Posted in Solar Energy
Posted on 05 June 2014. Tags: solar energy, solar photovolltaic plant, solar power plant
PV plant will produce sufficient clean energy to power more than 7,400 residents.
For the project, Martifer Solar worked with Eco Delta, an independent developer and operator of wind and solar farms. Remarkably, the project — which is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of France — was built within only 10 weeks.
“The completion of this PV plant is a key indication of Martifer Solar’s success and leadership in mature markets, such as France,” said Henrique Rodrigues, CEO of Martifer Solar. “As the market is moving towards a post-Feed-in-Tariff era, we are prepared to advance our business model in order to drive down the LCoE and to match the evolution towards increased national tender processes and self-consumption projects.”
Martifer Solar completed the PV plant on an area of approximately 200,000 m2, using 42,592 modules installed on fixed structures. The 11 MW plant is expected to produce an estimated 17 GWh/year. With this production capacity, the plant will offset 1,345 tons of carbon dioxide on an annual basis. In addition to the significant environmental benefits that the project provides to Ginasservis, it also provided more than 150 jobs throughout the course of construction.
“As the developer, owner and operator of this 11 MW solar PV plant, Eco Delta is happy to contribute to the growth of the French renewable energy market,” said Chantal GASS, CEO of Eco Delta.
Solar presence in France
A recent report from the Ministry of Ecology, Energy and Sustainable Development shows that approximately 1% of France’s electricity demand has been met with solar PV. Given the growing electricity rates and the country’s levels of solar irradiance, there is significant room for development in the maturing French PV market.
“We are proud to deliver this 11 MW project to Eco Delta on time and within only 10 weeks, which attests to our reliability and proven capability as a leading EPC player,” said Davide Pacheco, Country Manager of France for Martifer Solar. “This accomplishment contributes to the clear path set by recently appointed French Energy Minister, Mrs. Segolene Royal, promising green growth and added jobs for the country, where solar energy is undoubtedly an affordable and competitive solution when compared to other energy sources.”
Martifer Solar has been present in France since 2009 and has implemented close to 50 MW of solar projects throughout the country. In the most recent report from reputable research firm, iHS, Martifer Solar is the 5th largest integrated European installer and 11th in terms of PV Integrator market share in France.
For Eco Delta, this marks the company’s 15th PV plant.
Martifer Solar was responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction and will also manage the subsequent operation and maintenance service for the PV plant.
Posted in Alternative Energy, Solar Energy
