Reported by Staff

New Belgium Brewing Installing Largest Private Solar Array in State

FORT COLLINS - New Belgium Brewing announced it will begin installation of the largest privately owned solar array in Colorado next week. The maker of the popular Fat Tire Amber Ale said the 200 kW system will produce 16% of its peak electrical load and 3% of their total electrical energy use. The array is part of the brewer’s commitment to Fort Collins’ FortZED initiative, the public/private partnership hoping to create the world’s largest “active zero energy district” through Smart Grid and renewable energy technology.

New Belgium, along with several other Fort Collins entities—such as the City, CSU, Spirae, Brendle Group, Advanced Energy, and Woodward—responded to a request from the Department of Energy to demonstrate peak load reduction. The partners were one of nine groups nationwide to receive such a grant and see it as an excellent opportunity to jump start FortZED.

“We’re excited to include a fairly large solar PV installation as part of our total load reduction project portfolio,” said New Belgium Sustainability Director Jennifer Orgolini. “It nicely compliments our current on-site generation which uses methane from our process water treatment plant, and the new generation capacity, thermal storage and demand response technologies we’ll also be adding for peak reduction. 

The solar array will cost just over $1 million, and New Belgium will receive reimbursement for up to 40% through the Department of Energy grant. Boulder-based Namaste Solar is contracted for the integration. The 870 panels will rest atop New Belgium’s packaging hall where engineers estimate it can power the bottle line up to eight hours on a sunny day.

Solsource Partnering on Power Plant at Buckley Air Force Base

DENVER - AMEC has been awarded a $7.3 million project to design and build a 1-MW solar power plant at Buckley Air Force Base outside Denver. The award was one of two solar projects AMEC has won in Colorado in recent weeks. The engineering and project management firm is partnering with Denver-based Solsource, Inc., on the project. The latter has designed and installed more than 400 solar electric and thermal systems for public and private entities.

Under the contract with the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, AMEC will design the solar photovoltaic (PV) system to meet all Buckley AFB environmental and technical specifications while maximizing power production and system life and minimizing cost.
The firm said it AMEC set a 368-day time frame for completion of the project, shorter than the 449 days required by the Air Force.

“Bringing the system on-line more than three and a half months ahead of schedule will result in construction cost savings as well as energy cost savings for the government from power generated earlier than originally planned,” commented AMEC Project Manager Steve Felice.

The project will involve the installation of more than 5,000 new 220/230-watt PV modules manufactured by SolarWorld at that company’s site in Camarillo, Calif. The modules are specifically manufactured for anti-reflectivity and approved for installation in a flight zone. The SolarWorld modules are manufactured from PV cells made in Hillsboro, Ore., with the majority of the raw materials and components produced in the U.S.

Earlier this month AMEC was awarded a contract by Fotowatio company Renewable Ventures to install a 2-MW solar power plant at the Foothills campus of Colorado State University.
DIA Set to Install More Solar

Solar Electricity to Boost DIA Fuel Farm

Denver International Airport (DIA) will seek approval from its city council to construct a photovoltaic solar electricity-generating system that would power the airport’s fuel storage and distribution facility. The airport plans to enter into an agreement with MP2 Capital and Oak Leaf Energy Partners to develop the $7 million, 1.6-megawatt solar project on a nine-acre (3.6ha) site north of the airport’s airfield. The new solar system is scheduled for completion by the end of this year and once operational, is expected to provide nearly all of the fuel farm’s electricity consumption.
 
“We expect this project to reduce energy costs for our airline and cargo business partners over the 20-year term of the agreement,” said Kim Day, Aviation Manager. “DIA has a widespread reputation as a green airport and this project is another example of our commitment to environmental responsibility.”
 
The project is supported by the 20 airline members of the DIA fuel committee, along with airport and airline services provider Aircraft Service International Group. “The proposed environmentally-friendly solar facility promises to provide long-term cost savings to airport stakeholders while reaffirming the airlines’ ongoing commitment to cleaner energy,” commented James C. May, Air Transport Association President and CEO.
 
The proposal calls for DIA to buy electricity generated by the system from Xcel Energy at a rate equal to 90% of the utility’s rate.
 
Last year, we reported on DIA’s 2-megawatt solar energy system south of the airport terminal which will generate more than three million kilowatt hours of electricity per year, enabling the airport to reduce its annual carbon emissions by more than 2,000 tons. Under a similar long-term partnership, Xcel received a rebate to offset the upfront construction costs. Xcel Energy will purchase the renewable energy credits from the clean electricity produced in support of Colorado’s Renewable Energy Standard, which requires large utilities to generate 20% of their power from renewable energy sources by 2020.

CSU Installing 2-MW System on Foothills Campus

FORT COLLINS - This fall Colorado State University will install a two-megawatt solar power plant on its Foothills Campus as part of Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards program – enough solar power to meet more than 10 percent of the university’s electric energy needs on the Foothills Campus.

The 15-acre solar array is expected to be one of the largest at a U.S. university when it’s finished, likely at the end of 2009. In exchange for hosting the solar panels, Colorado State locked in a 20-year contract for solar power to keep costs low during volatile energy markets with rising electricity costs.

It’s the second solar project to be announced within the Colorado State University System. CSU-Pueblo dedicated a new 1.2 MW solar array in 2008.

Colorado State University is working with Xcel Energy and renewable energy developer, Renewable Ventures, a Fotowatio company, in an innovative public-private partnership, to leverage tax credits and incentives to finance the Foothills Campus solar power system. This partnership will enable the university to deploy the solar array under a long-term electricity contract with Renewable Ventures known as a Power Purchase Agreement. Colorado State University will provide the land under a long-term lease and will purchase the power produced from the solar array at a fixed rate for 20 years.