At a ceremony today attended by Delaware Governor Jack Markell, Dover Mayor Carleton E. Carey, Sr. and other dignitaries, White Oak Solar Energy, LLC, (a wholly owned subsidiary of LS Power Group) and SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWRA, SPWRB) recognized the commencement of operations of the 10-megawatt Dover SUN Park. Dover SUN Park is delivering solar power to the local utility distribution grid with the City of Dover, Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation, Delmarva Power, and the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility purchasing the renewable energy credits associated with the system.
"The Dover SUN Park helped put people to work and is producing clean energy during the times of day when power use is at its peak," said Governor Markell. "This is good for the City of Dover and it's good for Delaware. This project really shows what can be accomplished when so many people in the community work together."
DoverSUN Park's six-month construction phase supported the local economy through job creation, and purchases of local materials and services, with more than 80 percent of the construction jobs being filled by Delaware residents. LS Power estimates that Dover SUN Park is generating the equivalent amount of electricity to power more than 1,500 Delaware homes. According to estimates provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it will offset more than 12,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
"In partnership with the City of Dover, Delmarva Power, Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation, Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility and SunPower, LS Power is very pleased to be dedicating this facility today," said Paul Segal, CEO, LS Power. "The Dover SUN Park will help transition Delaware towards a clean energy supply and directly contribute to meeting the City of Dover's future energy needs."
SunPower designed and built Dover SUN Park, installing SunPower® Tracker systems at the 103-acre site, with the SunPower® E20/327 Solar Panel, the most efficient solar panels on the market today. The Tracker follows the sun's movement during the day, increasing sunlight capture by up to 25 percent over conventional fixed-tilt systems, while significantly reducing land use requirements.
"SunPower technology is fast to install, offers guaranteed performance, and is a competitively-priced choice for power plant applications," said Howard Wenger, president of SunPower's utility and power plant business group. "Forward-thinking organizations such as LS Power and its local partners are maximizing the production of renewable solar power and the long-term benefits it delivers."
