1MW Solar Energy System

EI Solutions has announced their partnership with The North Face to design, build and install a 1MW solar electricity system at its West Coast distribution center located in Visalia, Calif. Scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, the system will be financed, owned and operated by San Francisco-based Recurrent Energy, the pioneer in Solar as a ServiceSM. 100% of the electricity will be sold to The North Face under a Power Purchase Agreement.

EI Solutions’ innovative design calls for construction of the new system over a storm water retention area located on the property, allowing for its dual use and providing a buffer to adjacent properties. By protecting the retention function of the area, the design negates the need for a new draining system while at the same time providing a clean, noise-free use of the land. Another key feature in the system’s design is the use of RayTracker GC single-axis solar trackers, on which 5,445 Suntech photovoltaic (PV) panels will be mounted.

By tracking the sun as it moves across the sky, RayTracker will keep the mounted PV panels focused on the sun’s rays, thereby maximizing the amount of energy produced by each panel and increasing the system’s return on investment. The new ground-mounted system will be located adjacent to VF Corporations’ (The North Face’s parent company) 800,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art distribution center.

According to national metric data provided by the Environmental Protection Agency, the solar system – owned and operated by Recurrent Energy – is expected to reduce carbon emissions by over 1,300 metric tons annually, which is equivalent to removing close to 250 automobiles from operation for one year or preserving over 11 acres of forest.

– from www.solardaily.com