Chicago Advances Nation's Largest Urban Solar Generating Station

The project, a joint venture between the Chicago-based power company Exelon and SunPower Corp. of San Jose, California, would develop a 10 megawatt solar photovoltaic plant at an unused brownfield site in the West Pullman neighborhood of Chicago.

The plant would generate electricity from 32,8000 solar photovoltaic panels, creating 200 jobs directly from the construction of the plant and saving over 14,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

On Earth Day 2009, Exelon and and SunPower Corp. announced the $60 million project, contingent upon Exelon receiving a federal loan guarantee under the federal Recovery Act, which includes provisions for investment in green jobs and emissions reduction. Exelon is seeking a loan guarantee for up to 80 percent of the project cost from the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Guarantee Program Office.

Exelon will own and operate the plant and market the Solar Renewable Energy Certificates it generates. The certificates are credits for producing a kilowatt-hour of energy from solar power, and can be sold to utilities and other power generators to help them meet state renewable energy requirements.

SunPower's solar tracking panels at at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada (Photo courtesy SunPower/NREL)

SunPower will design, produce and install the solar generating station.

It is expected to generate enough power to meet the annual energy requirements of about 1,200 to 1,500 homes and will displace about 31.2 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions annually, Exelon and SunPower said.

"Exelon's planned solar installation will benefit the West Pullman community in many ways, including increased economic activity, new jobs, and the revitalization of these unused parcels of land," said long-time Chicago 34th Ward Alderman Carrie Austin.

"Just as previous generations engaged in a race to the Moon, we're now seeing a race to take advantage of the Sun," said Brian Granahan with the nonprofit Environment Illinois, who testified in favor of the ordinance.

"All around the world, nations are moving to harness the Sun's power to reduce energy costs, reduce carbon emissions, and reduce fossil fuel consumption. For Chicago to be a true leader on environmental issues, it must also be a leader on this vital resource—and this project is a bold first step."

The ordinance now moves to the full Chicago City Council for approval. Assuming approval of the lease ordinance, Exelon believes the solar plant could be operational by the beginning of 2010.

"With nearly 2,000 megawatts of renewable power in our energy portfolio, including hydro-electricity, wind, landfill gas and solar, Exelon is investing aggressively but wisely in renewables as part of our comprehensive environmental strategy, Exelon 2020," said Exelon Chairman and CEO John Rowe. "As a provider of electrical service in urban areas, we understand the importance of finding urban locations for renewable energy and we are pleased to bring the largest urban solar installation to West Pullman, helping to revitalize an area where industry once thrived."

"Today, SunPower's solar PV technology can be implemented anywhere and at any scale – from rooftops, to parking lots, to utility-scale power plants, and urban industrial sites," said SunPower CEO Tom Werner. "Delivering a 10-megawatt solar plant in a space-constrained, 39-acre area is only possible using SunPower's high-efficiency solar technology, which generates more power per square foot than competing technologies."

SunPower solar panels generate up to 50 percent more power than conventional solar panels and two to four times as much power as thin-film solar technology, Werner says. SunPower solar tracking systems tilt toward the Sun as it moves across the sky, increasing daily energy production by up to 25 percent, improving the economics of solar power and reducing land-use requirements.

SunPower has installed more than 500 solar power systems totaling more than 400 megawatts worldwide, including solar power plants in Europe, Asia and North America.

Exelon, through its subsidiary Exelon Generation, owns and controls around 33 gigawatts of generating capacity from a mix of fossil fuel, hydro, nuclear and renewable facilities.

The Chicago solar power project supports Exelon's strategy to reduce, offset or displace more than 15 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year by 2020.

Copyright Environment News Service, ENS, 2009. All rights reserved.