Jul 23 2010
Aide Solar, a large-scale producer of photovoltaic (PV) modules, today announced its participation in the cooperative effort to install a 2.3 kW solar electric system using its donated 230 watt poly-crystalline black frame solar panels at the Compadre branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the East Valley in Chandler, Arizona has been completed.
The project includes a donated 5000HD dual axis tracker from DEGERenergie, a market leader with over 30,000 trackers installed globally, and a power inverter from Fronius. Hawkins Design Group donated the electrical system design, and installation services were donated by SolarCity, a national leader in solar power systems. In keeping with the project’s philanthropic nature, the City of Chandler waived all permit fees and streamlined the installation.
“This installation is an example of how Chandler will continue its leadership role in developing policies and programs targeted at promoting higher energy efficiency in new and existing buildings,” said Chandler Mayor Boyd W. Dunn. "The cooperative efforts and generosity of all the participating organizations has resulted in the production of clean renewable energy and is a great example for learning about sustainability.”
Though the Boys and Girls Club organization is the primary user of the building, it is owned and managed by the city of Chandler. The building is Silver Certified through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™, making it compliant with the city’s new Green Building Program. LEED certification provides an independent authentication system for buildings designed to improve things like energy savings.
“We saw this as an opportunity to invest in the community from both a learning and technology perspective,” said Raymond C. Wiley, director, North America Sales, Aide Solar, U.S.A., and member of the Arizona Department of Commerce’s Green Economy Advisory Committee. “Having our photovoltaic panels installed with these sophisticated monitoring and tracking systems is a step closer to a Smart Grid, where the entire network is connected to the Internet.”
Dedicated November 16, 2009, the new building is 32,000 square feet and houses one of the largest Intel computer clubhouses in the world, equipped with Intel donated computers. Using Solar City’s SolarGuard Monitoring Service, computers at the facility continuously track and monitor the solar system's performance in near real time. Children using the facility will be able to learn about the benefits of solar systems first hand, and calculate the lifetime financial savings of the installed system.
The DEGERenergie solar tracking system will generate approximately 45 percent more energy than a conventional fixed array. By ensuring that the photovoltaic array is always aligned to the brightest spot in the sky, the maximum amount of energy is harvested, even on cloudy days.
“This is the first dual axis installation of our DEGERenergie tracking technology in the Western U.S.,” said Chris Wahl, North American Sales Director, DEGERenergie GmbH. “We effectively reduce the cost of energy generation by ensuring the solar panels get the maximum amount of energy from the sun.”
Source: http://www.aidesolar.com/