by Shane Henson — February 13, 2012—After successfully completing one solar project for BLT Enterprises, SPI Solar, a respected vertically integrated photovoltaic (PV) solar developer, has been contracted by the company again. This time SPI Solar will design and build a 400 kW DC distributed generation PV solar energy facility (SEF) to help power operations at Volkswagen’s U.S. Test Center California, which encompasses a Technical Center and an Emissions Laboratory located in Oxnard, California. SPI expects to begin construction of the SEF in the first quarter of 2012.
According to both sustainably minded companies, the test center, currently under construction by an affiliate of BLT Enterprises, is a 63,500-square-foot facility that will be one of the automobile industry’s most advanced emissions testing and power train development facilities. The center will be used by various brands within the Volkswagen Group, which comprises Volkswagen, Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley and Bugatti.
“As traditionally sourced energy costs rise, it is becoming increasingly more important to offset them with thoughtful and sustainable energy platforms that can be deployed onsite and reduce long-term operation costs,” said Rob Solomon, Chief Development and Legal Officer for BLT Enterprises. “It is also fundamental to Volkswagen’s mission to operate the center in a manner that is consistent with its environmental mission. This solar energy facility helps to fulfill a major part of that mission.”
The SEF being designed by SPI will utilize a mix of rooftop and carport structures to host the onsite solar array. It is the second large-scale system SPI has produced for BLT. In January, 2011 SPI announced completion of a 398 kW system at BLT’s Fremont, California state-of-the-art waste-recovery operation facility.
