by Jbs050909 b3 — May 11, 2009—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced three new winners of its Solar America Showcases awards. The Solar America Showcases effort is run by DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Program ] and provides technical assistance to large solar energy installation projects that are highly visible, novel, and replicable throughout the nation.
All Solar America Showcases projects receive free DOE technical assistance utilizing experts from the national laboratories, universities, and a competitively selected engineering firm funded in fiscal year 2009. These competitions are part of DOE’s strategy to accelerate and advance solar energy technology adoption and integration.
This most recent competition added three award winners:
- Sequoia Foundation (Berkeley, CA)—The Solar Schools Assessment and Implementation Project: Berkeley Unified School District, together with West Contra Costa Unified School District, Oakland Unified School District, the Sequoia Foundation and its sponsored project, KyotoUSA, and MIG, Inc., will prepare a “Solar Master Plan” to deploy the installation of photovoltaic (PV) systems on all appropriate district schools and administrative buildings, with potential replication in other school districts.
- Forest City Communities: This new project builds on the success of a 2007 Solar America Showcases award that deployed 477 new 225 W solar PV energy panels at the Ohana Military Community. The add-on project will integrate a large number of PV solar rooftop systems, generating enough electricity to service 2,317 houses, and mitigate possible stability issues associated with PV solar systems and the utility, the Hawaii Electric Company. Success here will demonstrate how it is possible to safely integrate a large number of PV systems on a utility grid.
Another installation will take place at the Forest City Affordable Housing Community on the Big Island of Hawaii. Here, a 3.6 megawatt (MW) PV solar farm is planned for construction on 10 acres, generating enough electricity to support 2,206 homes, with possible replication at other military bases.
- National Community Builders: This project will demonstrate a model for installing large-scale, 2 MW solar PV installations within LEED-certified urban re-development neighborhoods in northeastern climate zones at Jeffrey Place in Columbus, Ohio. It will generate enough electricity to accommodate 600 to 800 residential and commercial tenants. With ongoing financing support, it also demonstrates an innovative approach to acquiring PV solar systems by relying upon tax assessments from the established tax increment financing districts, and the sale of power as the primary and secondary means of retiring debt.
