Sourcing Renewables | Page 227

Tiffin University in Ohio announced construction will begin on its first rooftop solar project. Located at the University’s Heminger Center, the solar array will feature 705 panels constructed on 14,000 square feet of rooftop space.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced on July 18 the completion of the largest solar system installed in New York City, located in Staten Island. The 3.1-megawatt solar array will offset a large portion of the electricity used by Fordham University and Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx.

IKEA has installed a solar array on top its new 290,000-square-foot store in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The 1.6-megawatt array is expected to provide between 20% and 50% of the power needed for the store, producing more than 2 million kilowatts of electricity annually.

No longer reserved for the Fortune 500, financial instruments like Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs) are gaining popularity among smaller companies and public-sector entities looking to cost-effectively meet clean energy goals. Google, Apple, Amazon, and Walmart have paved the way for other, more risk averse but environmentally-minded entities to power their operations with renewable energy.

Facebook has announced it will finance construction of six large solar projects that will generate 437 megawatts of power for its Prineville, Oregon campus, home of three existing and two more planned data centers.

The 690-megawatt Gemini Solar Project, expected to be one of the largest solar projects in Nevada’s history, has been proposed by Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners. The project will be located on almost 44,000-acres of Bureau of Land Management supervised property approximately 25 miles northeast of downtown Las Vegas, Nevada.

Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama has completed the addition of a 120-kW rooftop solar array, featuring more than 370 solar panels on one of the center’s newer buildings.

Audi Field hosted major league soccer franchise D.C. United’s first game July 14 as the stadium premiered a set of initiatives designed to create a more sustainable facility.

Recent weeks and months have seen a near-constant stream of headlines about the ongoing growth of corporate renewable energy procurement, including here in Smart Energy Decisions. It all boils down to a single, encouraging takeaway: corporate leaders and investment is a major influence driving renewable energy capacity additions.

Apple announced on July 12 the creation of a new investment fund in China to increase the use of renewable energy within its supply chain. The company will join 10 initial suppliers to invest nearly $300 million over the next four years into the China Clean Energy Fund, which will invest in and develop clean energy projects totaling more than 1 gigawatt of renewable energy in China.