Alpha Energy, a U.S.-based company, that, among others, delivers turnkey photovoltaic systems, has recently completed the construction of a 1 MW solar cell parking lot, for the Manheim NJ Auto Dealers Exchange in Bordentown, NJ.
The solar parking lot is connected to the grid, so NJ electricity users will be the first to benefit from this construction. The company says they have installed the system on the largest continuous Elevated Solar Racking structure in the U.S., equivalent in size to three football fields elevated 23 feet into the air.
The 1 MW array consists of more than 5,000 photovoltaic panels, and has a total area of 104,000 square feet. The panels are tied in to one single meter via 11 separate inverters; this ensures that if a single array needs troubleshooting, 90 percent of the system will be producing electricity.
Construction and installation required 550,000 pounds of steel, 240 cubic yards of concrete and 54,000 feet of wiring. The system will generate more than one million kilowatt hours per year, which is roughly the amount required to power 114 homes. The resulting CO2 offset of 1.9 million lbs is equivalent to preventing the annual emissions from 158 cars.
“Alpha Energy specializes in the design, engineering and installation of complete renewable energy systems for businesses of all sizes,” said Drew Zogby, President and COO of Alpha Technologies. “The extraordinary size of this Elevated Solar Racking structure was an ideal fit for us, as we were able to present Manheim NJ Auto Auction with a comprehensive project package including system options, material procurement and turnkey project management. To help reduce the net cost of the project, we advised Manheim of the potential federal and state incentive programs, including New Jersey’s Solar Renewable Energy Credits.”
So, when you’ll have an electric car, and you pass by Bordentown, NJ, have a stop at the solar parking lot to have the greenest recharge possible of your vehicle.
Liked it? Share onFacebook and Google +1:
| |  No comments yet.Break the ice! |  E-mail Updates |  |
| Also share story on: | Become our facebook fan |
Read next:
Sainsbury's Using Parking Cars' Kinetic Energy to Power UpSainsbury’s, from Gloucester, UK, is the first supermarket to use the kinetic energy coming from the cars entering their parking lot to (partially) power their shop.
Babcock Ranch: Florida's First Fully Solar Powered CityThe world’s largest solar plant will be built in Florida. The construction will begin in June of the next year. The entire project will cost approximately two billion dollars.
Redbird Solar Water Purification System Can Process 14,400 gallons/dayThe company Chemviron Midwest has developed the world’s first solar-powered water purification system. The 25-feet long and 15-feet high water purification system, known as Redbird, can be completely enclosed in a shipping container, being easily transported in various parts of the world.
Air#Maze: Cheapest & Simplest Solar Powered Room Heater“Environmental Art must work,” says artist/inventor Doyle Doss. “As artists, as creative individuals, we must do all we can to make our work actually solve a problem. What we create must make positive impacts on an environment that has been severely damaged. The question for each of us will always remain, ‘Is my work a part of the solution, really, or is it just a re-statement of the problem?’ “
75% Efficient Solar Powered Air Conditioning SystemLe Lievre, co-founder and former CEO of Ausra, now founder of Chromasun, is planning to launch a very efficient solar powered air conditioning system in the first quarter of 2010.
Comments from our readers
3167 total comments so far. What's your opinion ?- No comments on this article yet.
