For Immediate Release...
April 30, 2010
Solar Energizes Global TransPark Center
KINSTON, N.C - The North Carolina Global TransPark (GTP) will soon feed power to the electric grid with the help of ‘green’ energy technology. Greenfield Power, a Charlotte-based solar firm, will install a solar photovoltaic (PV) system at GTP and Progress Energy Carolinas will purchase its entire output to serve the utility’s customers.
The 250-kilowatt (kW) PV array is expected to produce approximately 325,000 kilowatt-hours per year. This will offset more than 100 percent of the electricity used in the TransPark Center, the GTP’s onsite education and training facility. The project is scheduled to be complete by late summer. The PV array will also reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 230 tons, which is equivalent to drivers conserving 26,000 gallons of gasoline.
“Affordable electrical power and the use of green energy technologies are becoming increasingly important to companies looking for a new location,” said Darlene Waddell, executive director of the Global TransPark.
“The TransPark Center’s solar panel installation is a model for facilities considering solar energy,” noted Waddell. “It shows how clean electricity can be produced and delivered using North Carolina products and services. This project is also a great example of how state government and the private sector can work together to creatively and collaboratively address issues that directly impact business in our state.”
The GTP is a 2,500 acre, multi-modal industrial park offering access to air, rail, highways, and North Carolina's two international ports. The GTP is in Lenoir County, located near several major military installations, and designed to attract aerospace and logistics-related companies and bring increased economic opportunities to the state.
This solar PV project is made possible by Progress Energy Carolinas’ SunSenseSM commercial solar PV program, designed to encourage the development of renewable energy by offering a premium price for solar power developed on commercial rooftops. In 2009, Progress Energy accepted proposals for a total of more than 2,000 kW under this program. The GTP array is the largest solar PV under this program in Eastern North Carolina.
Greenfield Power is a renewable energy developer, contractor and independent power producer. The company manages the financing requirements to develop solar sites and secures agreements with the local electric utility provider at each site, in addition to procuring and installing solar panels.
“This solar installation offsets all the energy needs of this building. An added benefit is that the installation will be most productive at the same time that energy demand is greatest – the hottest and sunniest time of the summer. This in some small way can reduce the peak load on big power plants,” explained Tom Kepper, president of Greenfield Power, adding, “We are tapping into an important resource and helping our environment and the economic development of our State.”
The project highlights North Carolina design and personnel. “We always remember our roots in North Carolina. On a project like this we emphasize our teamwork with other North Carolina firms for materials and labor,” said Kepper.
“This project is significant for North Carolina,” says Britt Weaver, Chief Financial Officer of Sencera, a Charlotte-based solar panel manufacturer that is supplying the panels. “It captures the full solar energy value chain -- from project engineering and module production, to the installation of panels and the harvest of electricity. This cooperative initiative between private companies and public officials builds solar energy’s momentum in North Carolina.”
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FOR INFORMATION:
Alanna King
(252) 522-4929, ext. 719
e-mail: aking@ncgtp.com
