Suntech
will supply 1.6MW of solar panels to Sun Devil Solar LLC, a wholly
owned subsidiary of Integrys Energy Services, for its PV project with
Arizona State University (ASU). The panels will be installed on top of
two elevated parking structures in the centre of ASU’s main campus
using a tracking system. The project will be the state’s largest
building-mounted project when it reaches completion at the end of 2008.
Jonathan Fink, Director of the Global Institute of Sustainability and University Sustainability Officer at ASU, said, “We believe in the potential of solar to become a cost-effective energy solution and hope that ASU’s large solar installation and solar R&D initiatives will encourage further solar adoption throughout Arizona and at other universities throughout the U.S.”
ASU has received multiple awards and grants from the US Department of Energy’s Solar America Initiative to further encourage development and uptake of solar technologies. Long-term plans include the establishment of a 7MW installation at the University’s Tempe campus.
By Síle Mc Mahon