by Ann Withanee — December 14, 2011—In late November 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory “flipped the switch” on the largest solar photovoltaic array in the eastern United States and one of the largest solar farms built on federal property. The 164,312 solar panels hosted at the Brookhaven lab in New York State will produce enough energy to power up to 4,500 homes, according to the DOE announcement.
Co-owned by BPSolar and MetLife through Long Island Solar Farm, the 32-megawatt Long Island Solar Farm also boasts the smallest carbon footprint of any solar array with its amount of output. Moreover, the project will cause the abatement of more than 30,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year as well as of substantial amounts of other pollutants, such as nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide. Significantly, the power plant will generate clean electricity for decades, using sunshine instead of polluting fossil fuels.
“The result is a significant source of clean energy for Long Island, as well as a positive economic impact for the local workforce and businesses,” said Mike Petrucci, CEO of BP Solar, noting that a true “team effort” contributed to the successful development and construction of the project. Long Island Power Authority chief operating officer Michael D. Hervey said that the project will help New York state meet its goal of 30 percent renewable resources by 2015, in addition to the “creation of new, high-quality energy jobs.”
The use of a Department of Energy site has helped attract investments from public and private sources, ensuring the economic success of the project and serving the nation’s goal to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil.
