DuPont is completing an 8-acre, 1.3 MW solar array at its Parlin, N.J., manufacturing facility. The array will be operated by Tangent Energy Solutions and will generate about 1.6 million kWh in its first year of operation. The new installation is the largest solar array on a DuPont manufacturing site in North America and brings the total solar energy generated from the 10 existing DuPont solar installations to more than 3 MW. The Parlin system features more than 7,250 thin film solar modules manufactured by DuPont Apollo – a wholly owned subsidiary of DuPont. The DuPont Apollo modules at Parlin are made with DuPont materials, including Tedlar polyvinyl fluoride film-based backsheets.
Emmvee Solar Systems has installed a customized solar water heating system for Kokuyo Camlin’s crayon manufacturing plant in Tarapur, Maharashtra, India. The system will melt the raw material for crayons using hot water at a temperature of 80?C with a flow rate of 30 liters per minute. Fifty flat-plate collectors from Emmvee’s Solarizer product line were installed and integrated with the existing boilers of 6,000 liters to heat the water up to 80?C. Additionally, an automation unit to regulate this process was installed on site.
The Hemet Unified School District in Hemet, Calif., erected 17 solar electric canopies to provide shade for about 1,400 parking spaces and nine playgrounds at area elementary, middle and high schools. Tioga Energy financed the 4.4 MW of canopies through its SurePath Solar power purchase agreements. Tioga developed and will operate and maintain the systems, selling the generated electricity to Hemet USD over 20 years at rates lower than the local utility. The school district expects to save about $300,000 in utility costs annually. Johnson Controls delivered all engineering, procurement and construction solutions for the project.
The School District of Beloit, Wis., has approved a project to install weighted solar panels on top of the roofs of four schools associated with its $70 million building referendum. Chart House Energy will give the district the full $116,000 to install the solar panels as part of a leasing agreement. After installation, the district will receive 10 percent of the savings in electricity costs each year – roughly $16,900 a year for the 40-year lifespan of the solar panels. The solar panel system will include a live webcam and online real time monitoring.