Clean Solar Power Advances in Knoxville Area
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE08/11/2010
CONTACTCourtney Darrow, New Media Coordinator, 865.235.1448, [email protected] Clean Solar Power Advances in Knoxville Area Knoxville, Tenn. (August 11th, 2010) – Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) is excited about upcoming solar energy events in the Knoxville area; two notable solar projects are having their ribbon cutting ceremonies this Thursday and Friday. “This week is a big week for solar energy development in the Knoxville area,” said Stephen Smith, Executive Director of SACE. “SACE has been a long time supporter of clean solar power and we believe that it will be playing an ever increasing role in clean energy production in the near future.”
The first ribbon cutting takes place on Thursday at Efficient Energy of Tennessee’s 1-megawatt (1,000 kilowatt) solar farm located off of Andrew Johnson Highway. Currently, this system is the largest in the Tennessee Valley area and serves as a solar energy milestone for Knoxville. 4,600 SHARP solar panels manufactured in Memphis, Tennessee make up this solar farm and it will be home to SHARP’s two millionth, gold-plated panel. SACE is honored to have played a role in the development of this solar energy landmark.
This Friday the City of Knoxville is having a ribbon-cutting event at 11:00 am for the brand new Knoxville Station Transit Center, which will be the first municipally owned, LEED certified building. It will incorporate solar energy through a 4-kilowatt solar array installed by Sustainable Future and funded by the Knoxville Solar America City program. SACE coordinates this program in collaboration with the City of Knoxville. Other significant “green” aspects of this Transit Center are its geothermal system, green roof, shaded facades, bike storage, efficient lighting, and recycling bins.
Another recent event worth mentioning in the Tennessee area is the commissioning of Outpost Solar’s Parking Area Solar Array (PASA) on August 4th in Pulaski, TN. This 20-kilowatt array was installed in the parking lot of Richland LLC, a metal fabrication facility and a licensed industrial contractor. The PASA is used for charging electric vehicles and it is the first one of its kind in the Southeast.
UPDATE: EETN and Sharp Complete Successful Installation of TVA Region’s LargestSolar Power Plant; Dedication Ceremony Draws Business Leaders and TopGovernment Officials # # # Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is a nonprofit organization that promotes responsible energy choices that create global warming solutions and ensure clean, safe, and healthy communities throughout the Southeast.www.cleanenergy.org