by Shane Henson — July 27, 2011—Prologis, a major owner, operator and developer of industrial real estate, has received a $1.4 billion partial loan guarantee through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to support the launch of its Project Amp rooftop solar program. This guarantee will enable Prologis to install photovoltaic (PV) panels on warehouse and distribution centers across the United States.
Drew Torbin, vice president for renewable energy of Prologis, was instrumental in obtaining DOE support. Torbin is a 2007 graduate of the DOE’s Executive Energy Leadership Program (Energy Execs) program, which DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) launched in 2007 to inform private and public decision-makers about renewable energy and energy efficiency as well as inspire them to adopt clean energy technologies.
Although Prologis was just starting to embrace solar on roofs of its U.S. properties when Torbin completed Energy Execs, he credits the program with giving him the knowledge to take it to the next level. According to Torbin, the solar efforts at Prologis have grown exponentially since his being a part of NREL’s Energy Execs. When Torbin graduated, the company had approximately 6 MW of solar installed. Currently, with projects under construction, Prologis has more than 60 MW on rooftops.
The offer of conditional commitment from DOE will be the cornerstone of a financing vehicle that can fund up to $2.6 billion in solar projects on Prologis roofs. The projected energy generated from Project Amp after four years is approximately 733 megawatts (MW) of solar power, which is similar to the total amount of PV power installed in the entire U.S. in 2010.
Even though the buildings in the Prologis portfolio are quite large, the energy demand within them is not equally as large, notes DOE officials. The buildings are warehouse or distribution space and the largest energy load is from lighting, which is why Prologis chose to send the buildings’ power directly to the grid, potentially offsetting energy for more than 88,000 homes.
NREL’s Executive Energy Leadership Program provides an opportunity for non-technical decision-makers throughout the country to learn about renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, analytical tools, and financing. Course content includes overviews of technologies, market assessments, analytical tools, and financial information. Briefings by technology experts, tours of research laboratories, and visits to field applications are part of the classroom experience. At the end of the program, students present individual or group projects of interest to their organization or community.
