Intersolar North America Reveals AWARD Finalists
for Solar Projects in North America and Champion of Change
Intersolar North America, the most-attended solar industry exhibition and conference dedicated to the North American market, recently unveiled the finalists for the Intersolar AWARD for solar projects in North America. All finalists will be honored during a special on-site ceremony at Intersolar North America, when the winners will be announced. Additionally, Intersolar, in collaboration with partner the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA), will present the second annual Champion of Change award to an individual who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to supporting the development of renewable energy.
The Intersolar AWARD, now in its eighth year, promotes the industry's power to innovate. Since 2012 The "Solar Projects in North America" category recognizes landmark projects that exemplify a high degree of technological innovation, uniqueness, economic feasibility and benefit to the environment and society. Winners are selected by an independent committee of industry experts and trade press, and are announced each July in San Francisco. The finalists in the category represent a wide array of outstanding installations or products used in a project.
Finalists for the Solar Projects in North America include:
Eaton's MGM Resorts International Mandalay Bay Resort and Convention Center Installation (Las Vegas, Nevada). The 6.4 MWp PV installation delivers power to the Las Vegas resort through a competitive power purchase agreement.
First Solar's Desert Sunlight Solar Farm (Riverside County, Calif.). The 550 MWp PV power plant is one of the largest in the world, and produces enough electricity to power 160,000 households, making it equivalent in size to conventional power plants. Additionally, the construction process uncovered areas for improvement that will speed the construction of future PV power plants.
Outback Power's GridZero System at the Haliburton Soap Factory (Haliburton, Ontario). This small solar project ensures that the Haliburton Soap Factory has an uninterruptible power supply. The building's network is supplied with solar power from an off-grid system. While the generated solar power is not fed into the public grid, the grid ensures a constant supply of electricity in the event of system faults.
Princeton Power Systems' Brooklyn Army Terminal installation (Brooklyn, N.Y.). This smart grid system combines a 100 kWp solar installation and a storage device featuring a capacity of 720 kWh with the aim of not only reducing CO2 emissions, but also gathering experience of using large-scale storage systems.
Solaire Generation's Boston Properties Garage Top Solar Canopy (Boston, Mass.). The solar canopy covers 60,000 square feet on top of a parking garage, eliminating annual snow clearance expenses in addition to generating electricity that can be sold-one of the main reasons why the canopy is so profitable.
Solaire Generation's Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Solar Canopy (Edgewater, Md.). This parking garage installation was integrated into an overall energy project that also repurposed rainwater.
Solar FlexRack's Palm Springs Unified School District Solar Project (Palm Springs, Calif.). The 638 kWp solar installation is saving significant amounts of money for the school. This money can now be spent for student education, and the PV installation is also used for teaching purposes.
Solar Frontier's Catalina Project (Kern County, Calif.). The 82.5 MWp ground-mounted installation in the Mojave Desert is combined with a wind energy project to produce an impressive hybrid strategy.
tenKsolar's Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall Installation (Washington, D.C.). Although installing PV systems on protected buildings is challenging, this project provided both a static and aesthetic solution. Thanks to the system's aerodynamic design, which places only a small burden on the roof, PV modules could be installed on a larger area. The north-facing sides of the modules are covered to produce an aesthetically pleasing effect as well as reflect additional light onto the modules.
Intersolar Names Winner
of the Champion of Change Award
In close partnership with CALSEIA, Intersolar named three finalists for the second Champion of Change Award. The winner, former California State Assembly member Nancy Skinner, authored AB 510 which greatly expanded California's net metering law. She was instrumental in the developed SB 2X, which mandated California's 33 percent renewable portfolio standard; AB 2514 that prioritized energy storage for grid wide and distributed energy applications; and AB 39, which funded solar and energy upgrades for schools.
Skinner has long been a solar and renewable energy champion, and has worked on global warming and environmental policy since the late 1980s.
Ms. Skinner has recently announced she will seek a seat in the California State Senate in 2016.
The Intersolar AWARD ceremony will be held Tuesday, July 14 at 3:30 PM at the Innovation and Application Stage on the second level of Moscone West. More information about the Intersolar North America exhibition, as well as the finalists, is available online.
About Intersolar North America
With events spanning four continents, Intersolar is the world's leading exhibition series for the solar industry and its partners. It unites people and companies from around the world with the aim of increasing the share of solar power in our energy supply.
Since its establishment in 2008, Intersolar North America has become the most attended solar event and the premier networking platform for the North American solar industry. Co-located with SEMICON West, it takes place annually at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, the United States' pioneering solar market.
The event's exhibition and conference both focus on the areas of photovoltaics, PV production technologies, energy storage and solar thermal technologies. Since being founded, Intersolar has become the most important industry platform for manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, service providers and partners of the global solar industry.
A total of 530 exhibitors and 17,473 trade visitors participated in Intersolar North America in 2014. The conference featured 40 sessions and 25 workshops with more than 200 speakers.
With over 20 years of experience, Intersolar has the unique ability to bring together members of the solar industry from across the world's most influential markets. Intersolar exhibitions and conferences are held in Munich, San Francisco, Mumbai, Beijing and São Paulo. Starting in 2014, these global events will be complemented by the Intersolar Summits, which will take place in emerging and growing markets worldwide.
For more information on Intersolar North America, please visit: www.intersolar.us
Images: R. Eberhard, messekompakt.com, EBERHARD print & medien agentur gmbh
Source: Solar Promotion International