Jun 8 2010
A GenCorp firm Aerojet, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and Solar Power, Inc. have completed the expansion of 2.4 MW capacity of the current 3.6 MW solar system located at the Sacramento, California-site of Aerojet, taking the total capacity to 6 MW. This installation was facilitated by means of the public-private partnership, established by SMUD, Solar Power, the EPA and Aerojet last year.
Using a single-axis tracking system, the solar array system is mounted on the ground. The system uses 22 tracking arrays and over 29,000 SPI 205 W photovoltaic modules of Solar Power. Presently, the California Energy Commission has given the top rank to the SPI 205 W module based on the performance characteristics of the module.
The power produced by the solar system is likely to be used for the operations of Aerojet. The electricity generated can power 30% of the widespread groundwater treatment projects of Aerojet in the region of Sacramento. The project offsets the need for around 10 GWh of power per year.
The Aerojet system will assist SMUD comply with the California state law (SB-1) requiring solar PV system implementations that meet the goal of California of 125 MW by the year 2016.
During the construction stage of the array spanning 40 acres, around 200 skilled professionals were employed for building the system and further 100 indirect employment opportunities were generated for supporting construction activities. The Aerojet system, during the first year of operation, is likely to replace around 6,000 tons of CO2, around 9.3 tons of NO and 23.8 tons of SO2. This equals planting 1,396,423 trees or removing around 1,075 fossil fuel-powered vehicles from the highways of California.
Source: http://www.solarpowerinc.net/