SHARON, Vt.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Talmage Solar Engineering, Inc. (http://solarmarket.com/) a leading installer of solar PV modules, today announced the completion of its largest project in the United States to date: a 2.2 MW solar power plant in Sharon, VT.
The system incorporates 9,562 Upsolar UP-M230 polycrystalline modules (http://www.upsolar.com/) equipped with Tigo Energy Maximizers. The Sharon project is backed by the Upsolar’s Reinforced Warranty. Featuring trigger points at years 3, 7, 12, 16, 20 and 25, the company’s Reinforced Warranty ensures its modules will maintain high levels of performance over the long term.
Tigo Energy Maximizers (http://www.tigoenergy.com/) are used to monitor each panel and deliver the most power available under any condition. Panel level optimization allowed modules to be placed on varying tilts and orientations eliminating the expense of grading the site. The Maximizers are expected to increase performance of the array by 4% within the first year while driving the cost of operation down.
Inverters were provided by Massachusetts based manufacturer, Solectria Renewables (http://www.solren.com/). “We have the highest level of confidence in Solectria products, they are a shining example of the potential of American manufacturing capability. Inverter reliability is the most critical component to a solar system,” says Kale Inoue, Chief Financial Officer for Talmage. “We are literally betting our success on the performance and reliability of our equipment manufacturers.”
The project, known as SunGen Sharon 1, is part of the Vermont Feed-In Tariff that is managed by Vermont SPEED (http://vermontspeed.com/). The contract of 25 years purchases power at a fixed rate of $.30/kwh. Power produced at this site will be fed into the Central Vermont Public Service grid which recently merged with Green Mountain Power (http://www.greenmountainpower.com/).
Over the life of the project the system is expected to produce approximately 57,500,000 kwh. The array will produce enough power to supply approximately 440 of the 553 homes in the Town of Sharon. Vermonters already have one of the lowest carbon footprints of any state in the US with a score of 10.46 metric tons per capita. Each Vermonter has a footprint of 2.61 tons of carbon per year that can be attributed to electricity consumption. With the commissioning of this solar array the Town of Sharon will have an average carbon footprint of approximately 8.37 tons per capita or 42% of the national average of 19.84 tons per capita.
Representatives from Talmage Solar Engineering, Upsolar, and Solectria Renewables will be on hand for a project commissioning ceremony on August 11th, 2012 to be held at 301 Commerce Park Drive, Sharon, VT.
About Talmage Solar Engineering, Inc.
Founded in 1975 Talmage Solar Engineering, Inc. has been a leader in PV system Engineering, Procurement and Construction for over 3 decades. TSE’s engineering and construction practices focus on long term value and lower cost per kilowatt hour. Operating out of Kennebunkport, Maine, Talmage Solar Engineering, Inc. has complete over 2000 installations and is positioned to continue deliver turnkey power systems to New England at the most competitive price. Talmage has been a key partner in several module and inverter manufacturer’s integration and market penetration.
About Upsolar
Upsolar is a leading international solar module developer and producer, offering the solar industry’s best quality/price ratio in the global PV market. With vertically integrated, diversified manufacturing platforms, as well as an R&D-supported quality control management system, Upsolar produces high quality, reliable solar modules backed by a world-class warranty, at competitive prices. Headquartered in Shanghai, Upsolar has offices throughout Asia, Europe and North America to support an international customer-base, providing on-site technical support, customer service and product development teams. For more information, visit www.upsolar.com.
About Tigo Energy
Tigo Energy designs the #1 PV solar optimizer utilizing patented impedance matching technology to allow more modules on any roof, uneven string lengths and different orientations. Installers and system owners achieve the highest ROI by increasing energy production and maximum system up-time for new systems and retrofits. Headquartered in the Silicon Valley, Tigo Energy is an innovative force partnering with module, inverter and combiner box manufacturers to embed these features and monitor arcing, fire and safety hazards. Tigo Energy delivers the most effective string monitoring, theft prevention and fleet management.
About Solectria Renewables, LLC
Solectria Renewables, LLC is the leading U.S. based grid-tied photovoltaic inverter manufacturer for residential, commercial and utility-scale solar installations. Our versatile line of high efficiency products provide power solutions ranging from 1 kW residential systems to multi-megawatt solar farms. Solectria Renewables' products are backed by more than 20 years of experience in the power electronic and inverter industries and supported by world class warranties. All of our commercial and utility-scale PV inverters are manufactured in the USA, ARRA compliant, Ontario FIT Content Compliant, and listed to UL 1741/IEEE 1547.