Solar energy park coming to Dover

Newark Post
June 15, 2010
By Newark Post

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A statewide partnership - comprised of the City of Dover, Delmarva Power, Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation (DEMEC), Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU) and LS Power will lead to the construction of one of the Mid-Atlantic region's largest solar power plants and the first on the Delmarva Peninsula.

The 10 megawatt solar power plant called Dover SUN Park will be built on 103 acres of Dover-owned property in the Garrison Oak Technology Park.

The solar power plant, which will be owned by White Oak Solar Energy, LLC, an affiliate of LS Power, is expected to create between 100-150 local jobs during construction and would supply enough clean power to serve 1,300 homes. Construction of Dover SUN Park is planned to start later this year, with full-scale operations expected to begin next summer. The initial concept for building Delaware's first solar facility stemmed from a request for proposals initiated by the City of Dover in March 2008 seeking power-generating sources that were reliable, cost competitive and environmentally prudent.

"Working closely with the city's energy manager, Pace Global, we recognized the value in partnering for such an innovative solution to our collective energy and climate challenge, which is what led us to today," Dover Mayor Carleton E. Carey, Sr. told a crowd of more than 100 people gathered Tuesday at Dover City Hall to witness the ceremonial signing of an agreement to build the Dover SUN Park.

"This is a coming together of many entities that will enable job growth in our area and put Dover ahead of the rest in green energy," Mayor Carey added.

Several agreements were signed as part of the larger commitment to build Dover SUN Park. The highlights of those agreements include:

The City of Dover has signed a 20-year agreement to purchase all of the energy produced by the Dover SUN Park and a portion of the Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SREC) at a competitive cost. The energy volume will supply more than two percent of the current energy requirements of Dover's system. The solar plant has leased approximately 100 acres at the Garrison Tract and will interconnect with Dover's 69 kV electric network.

Delmarva Power signed agreements with White Oak Solar Energy, LLC for the purchase of SRECs associated with the solar energy output from Dover SUN Park, and with the Delaware SEU for the preservation of SRECs and the ability to buy them back at a later date. Delmarva's agreements are subject to the approval of the Delaware Public Service Commission.

DEMEC, representing the nine municipal electric utilities in Delaware, signed an agreement with White Oak Solar Energy, LLC for the purchase of SRECs and other environmental attributes to be produced by the 10MW solar generation facility.

"We are extremely pleased to execute the purchase agreements with the City of Dover, Delmarva Power, Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation and the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility and are looking forward to beginning the next phase of the project," said Joe Gorberg, Senior Vice President, LS Power. "This clean source of renewable energy produced by this facility will energize the local community and help improve the environment."

Delmarva Power Region President Gary Stockbridge said: "Today, Delmarva Power is another step closer to meeting Delaware's very ambitious clean energy goals, which require 20 percent of Delmarva Power's energy supply to come from renewable sources by 2019. It also makes us extremely proud to be part of bringing green energy and green jobs to Delaware."

The project will help Delaware achieve its nation-leading, solar power goals by supplying more than 25 percent of the state's required solar power production through at least 2015.

Patrick E. McCullar, CEO of DEMEC, said: "The Delaware municipal electric utilities are again leading by example with another first-of-its-kind renewable energy generation project in Delaware. We were the first wholesale electric utility in the nation to have an outtake agreement for off-shore wind generation with our commitment to the Bluewater Wind Project in 2007, and we are continuing DEMEC's long-term goal of developing innovative and economic utility-scale, renewable energy generation projects located in Delaware by being a part of the Dover SUN Park Project."

Dr. John Byrne, co-chairman, Delaware SEU, said: "Dover SUN Park will play an integral role in our efforts to move Delaware toward a sustainable energy future. This is just the beginning, but a big beginning and we are proud to be a partner."

Dover, Delmarva Power, DEMEC, the SEU and LS Power, with the support of the state legislative and executive branches, have been developing this project for more than a year as a collective effort to bring green energy and green jobs to Delaware. The Dover SUN Park will be the first tenant within the 389-acre Garrison Oak Technology Park, which is owned by Dover.

NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for research and educational purposes.

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