Photovoltaic Solar Power System at Alcoa's Kawneer Facility in California Begins Operation

The project serves to demonstrate the environmental and financial merits of harnessing energy from the sun to generate electricity on an industrial scale.

24/08/07 Alcoa announced the start-up of a 588,000 Watt, roof-mounted photovoltaic solar power system at its Alcoa Building and Construction Systems’ Kawneer manufacturing facility in Visalia, California. The project serves to demonstrate the environmental and financial merits of harnessing energy from the sun to generate electricity on an industrial scale.

Alcoa partnered on the project with DEERS, a global solar power project developer and owner of the DEERS Solution , the patent pending solar roof top attachment system, and Constellation Energy Projects & Services (CEPS), which constructed and will own and operate the solar system. Alcoa agreed to host the new solar power system and purchase the electricity generated.

"This solar power project increases California’s supply of clean and reliable renewable energy," said David Schlendorf, president, Alcoa Building and Construction Systems. "Alcoa is committed to implementing sustainable energy solutions and is dedicated to pursuing alternative energy supply options that benefit our key stakeholders – including our employees, communities, customers and suppliers."

“Green energy solutions are becoming a business imperative for forward-looking companies such as Alcoa,” said Gregory Jarosinski, president of CEPS. “With CEPS owning and operating the renewable system, customers enjoy stable long-term energy pricing from an environmentally friendly source.”

The power generated by more than 4,300 Uni-Solar thin film solar panels will provide approximately 80% of the 200,000-square-foot facility’s electricity needs, during periods when demand on the electricity grid is greatest. In addition to the solar panels, more than 200 solar light tubes were installed to supplement the artificial lighting in the facility with day lighting. Alcoa is evaluating similar solar power opportunities at other facilities.

As a company committed to sustainability, Alcoa is a founding member of the United States Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), which issued an appeal for the US government to enact strong national legislation to achieve significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. Alcoa is a charter member of the World Resources Institute Green Power Market Development Group, an active participant in the Global Roundtable on Climate Change, The Business Roundtable, U.S. Green Building Council, and World Economic Forum’s Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change.