Southern Company subsidiary acquires controlling interest in the 102 MW Henrietta solar PV project

Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power and SunPower Corp. on July 6^th, 2016 announced that Southern Power has acquired a controlling interest in the 102 megawatt (MW) Henrietta solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Kings County, California, from SunPower, which will own the remaining interest in the project.

“The acquisition of the Henrietta Solar Project underscores Southern Power's leadership in developing renewable energy,” said Southern Power President and CEO Buzz Miller.

“Through strategic partnerships, including with SunPower, we continue to accelerate our solar generation growth in California.”

Henrietta Solar PV expected to be fully operational in Q3, 2016

The Henrietta Solar PV project represents Southern Power's first joint venture with SunPower, which developed, designed and is constructing the facility and will operate and maintain it upon completion. Construction began in May 2015, and the project is expected to be fully operational in the third quarter of this year.

“With over 30 years' experience and more than 2.5 gigawatts of innovative solar power plants operating around the world, SunPower is a global leader driving the adoption of reliable, cost-effective solar power at utility scale,” said SunPower CEO Tom Werner.

“We are proud to partner with Southern Power to deliver long-term value for the utility, its customer, and the California homes and businesses that will benefit from the emission-free power generated by the Henrietta Solar Project.”

20-year PPA with Pacific Gas and Electric

Existing Southern Power customer Pacific Gas and Electric Company will purchase the solar power and associated renewable energy credits (RECs) generated by the facility under a 20-year power purchase agreement.

Once operational, the PV facility is expected to be capable of generating enough electricity to help meet the energy needs of approximately 24,000 average U.S. homes.

The Henrietta Solar project marks Southern Power's 11^th solar project in California and is the company's first acquisition in Kings County. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

MGM Resorts, NRG Energy complete the installation of the largest rooftop solar PV array in the U.S.

 

NRG Energy, Inc. (Houston, TX, U.S.) and MGM Resorts International (Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.) on July 6^th, 2016 announced the completed expansion of the largest rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) array in the United States.

On the roof of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, the expanded solar array has more than 26,000 PV panels and produces a combined 8.3 MW_dc (6.5 MW_ac) of solar power, a new national record for rooftop arrays.

At full production, the system supplies 25% of the power demand of the entire Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino campus.

“MGM Resorts International has a long history of integrating environmentally responsible practices throughout our operations to help preserve the planet's limited resources,” said Cindy Ortega, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of MGM Resorts International.

Chuck Bowling, President and COO of Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino added: “The expansion of our rooftop solar installation at Mandalay Bay significantly advances our resort's commitment to being a leading sustainable destination for conferences and conventions. Utilizing energy produced from a renewable resource is a cornerstone of our comprehensive strategy of sustainable operations.”

“Companies like MGM Resorts are driving an evolution in America's energy mix as they seek cleaner sources of power that provide more certainty over energy costs,” said Craig Cornelius, Senior Vice President of NRG Energy and head of NRG's Renewables group.

“The solar array atop Mandalay Bay is stunning in its scope and functionality, and we're thrilled to have MGM as a partner.”

PV technology from Ten K Solar

The expanded PV project uses technology from Ten K Solar. Ten K's REFLECT system consists of 4,644 PV Modules, 180 inverters and a fully integrated Ten K racking system with no roof penetrations.

The racking system uses 3M “Cool Mirror Film” to reflect only the light wavelengths usable by the photovoltaic cells. Ten K's parallel cell and module architecture allows for modules to capture non-uniform irradiance coming from reflected light.

The architecture further eliminates any single points of failure, increasing total system availability and reducing operation and maintenance costs.

NRG owns and operates the installation for MGM Resorts at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Through a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), Mandalay Bay Resort will purchase all the solar power generated by both PV arrays. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

First Solar again successfully completes the Atlas 25+ PV module testing program

 

Atlas Material Testing Technology LLC (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.) a global provider of weathering technology and services, on July 6^th, 2016 announced that, for a second time, First Solar, Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, U.S.) has completed the rigorous “Atlas 25⁺” comprehensive PV durability testing program and received test result certification from Atlas' partner SGS, a world-leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company.

Testing was conducted on First Solar's original Series 4 thin film photovoltaic (PV) module, which utilizes the core technology used in all of the company's product offerings.

The Atlas 25⁺ protocol is a proprietary, multi-dimensional durability test program designed to subject photovoltaic modules to the environmental degradation stresses that can be expected over long-term service.

It provides manufacturers with the data they need to demonstrate long-term durability and to support warranty and performance claims, while reducing the costs associated with aftermarket product failure.

Solar PV panels exposed to a series of stresses

The Atlas 25⁺ program exposes solar panels to a series of stresses, including UV-A/UV-B exposure, salt spray corrosion, condensing humidity, solar/thermal humidity cycle, solar/thermal humidity freeze cycle, Arizona and Florida solar tracking – including peak summer – and initial, final and multiple interval measurements. In order to receive SGS certification, modules are required to have less than 8% degradation over the testing period.

“As part of the Atlas 25⁺ independent testing program, solar panels are exposed to harsh weather conditions similar to those faced during their lifetime,” said Richard Slomko, Director of Atlas' Weathering Services Group.

“This is a tremendous achievement for First Solar to complete our Atlas 25⁺program again with impressive results. We are extremely pleased that the world's leading thin-film PV manufacturer continues to utilize our unique PV durability testing program to confirm module suitability for long-term operation in the world's harshest climates.”

“Only the strong survive in the highly competitive PV technology environment,” said Lou Trippel, First Solar's Senior Director of Product Management.

“Only a handful of PV manufacturers – and no other thin film manufacturer – have been certified. We are taking the world-class reliability documented here and building it into successive products. We believe product evolution depends on fundamental reliability.” 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

Ideal Power applauds California PUC action on self-generation incentive program

Ideal Power Inc. (Austin, TX, U.S.), a developer of innovative power conversion technologies, supports the recent decision by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to modify the Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) to allocate 75% of new funding to energy storage and modify the program rules to bolster the competitive environment for the leading behind-the-meter energy storage market in the U.S.

USD 36 million are expected to be allocated to energy storage projects

The CPUC displayed strong leadership in resolving the 2016 SGIP delay, enabling approximately USD 70 million of new energy storage projects submitted in February 2016 to proceed.

Additional SGIP funds are expected to be made available later this year under the modified program rules of which approximately USD 36 million are expected to be allocated to energy storage projects.

“The temporary road block to deploying energy storage projects utilizing the California SGIP incentive funds has been cleared,” said Dan Brdar, Ideal Power CEO.

USD 276 million of energy storage projects submitted for SGIP funding on February 23^rd, 2016

“We appreciate the CPUC’s diligence on this matter and look forward to the commencement of SGIP application processing as there are numerous projects that we expect to use our power conversion systems. Additionally, we believe the USD 276 million of energy storage projects submitted for SGIP funding on February 23^rd is a strong indication of growing interest for energy storage.”

1,325 MW of energy storage to be implemented in California by 2020

The CPUC established a target of 1,325 MW of energy storage to be implemented in California by 2020. The SGIP program goals include grid support services that utilize energy storage to reduce or shift peak demand, improve efficiency and reliability of the distribution and transmission system, lower grid infrastructure costs, provide ancillary services, and ensure customer reliability in addition to incentives for microgrids.

The proposed decision frees up approximately USD 36 million of SGIP incentive funding for storage, and allocates 75% of the SGIP budget going forward to energy storage projects.

It also gives priority to storage systems that are combined with renewable energy. And structures the program on a step down basis similar to the California Solar Initiative. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

Enel starts construction of Latin America’s largest solar PV plant; 292 MW in Brazil

 

Enel S.p.A. (Rome, Italy), through its subsidiary Enel Green Power Brasil Participações Ltda. (EGPB), has started construction of the 292 MW Nova Olinda solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Brazil which, once completed, will be the largest in Latin America.

Once completed, the new PV facility, which will cover an area of 690 hectares, will have a total installed capacity of 292 MW and will be able to generate more than 600 GWh of solar power per year.

Nova Olinda, which is owned by four special purpose vehicles (SPV) held by EGPB, is located in Ribeira do Piauí in Brazil’s north-eastern state of Piauí, the company notes.

The construction of this new facility builds upon EGPB’s leading renewable energy presence in Brazil, where the company already runs the country’s largest solar plant currently in operation, Fontes Solar (11 MW), and is building Ituverava (254 MW), which will be Brazil’s second largest solar project.

“The start of construction of Nova Olinda is another step forward for our Group in Brazil, confirming our leadership in the country’s solar market,” stated Carlo Zorzoli, Enel’s Country Manager for Brazil.

“The Brazilian government has developed an attractive and well-structured auction process, and our success in the country has been built upon our market-leading technology, our excellent financing, and a reputation for sustainable stakeholder engagement. We look forward to continuing to invest in order to grow strongly in the country’s energy sector.”

Enel to invest approximately USD 300 million

Nova Olinda will be built in an area with high levels of solar radiation and will make a significant contribution to meet country’s increasing energy demand.

Enel will be investing approximately USD 300 million in the construction of Nova Olinda, as part of the investments foreseen in the company’s current strategic plan. The project, which is financed through Enel Group’s own resources, is expected to enter into service in the second half of 2017.

20-year PPA

The PV plant will be supported by a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) that provides for the sale of the energy generated by the plant to the Brazilian Chamber of Commercialisation of Electric Energy (Câmara de Comercialização da Energia Elétrica, CCEE).

Enel Group was awarded the PPA following the “Leilão de Reserva” public tender in August 2015 together with the right to sign PPAs for the Horizonte (103 MW) and Lapa solar parks (158 MW), becoming the Brazilian solar industry’s top player in terms of installed capacity and project portfolio. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com