REC Solar, SunEdison inaugurate 1.1 MW solar facility in California

(ADPnews) - Nov 12, 2010 - US solar photovoltaic (PV) project developers REC Solar Inc and SunEdison LLC on Wednesday cut the ribbon on a 1.1 MW solar system rolled out at the waste water treatment facility in the city of Madera, California.

SunEdison, a subsidiary of silicon wafer maker MEMC Electronic Materials Inc (NYSE:WFR), said on Wednesday that the project did not absorb upfront costs from the city. The company has financed the deployment and will operate as well as maintain it under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Madera.

Designed and constructed by REC Solar, the installation spans over 9 acres (3.6 hectares) of land. Along with the developer's solar panels, it employs dual-axis system trackers, which follow the sun throughout the day, improving output by more than 35%, according to company calculations.

The solar system is projected to produce 2.4 million kWh of clean electricity per year and over 45 million kWh over 20 years, while offsetting 47 million pounds (21,320 tonnes) of carbon gases. The City of Madera estimates the installation will meet 62% of the waste water treatment facility's power needs.

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