New Solar Installation at Victor Valley College

Victor Valley College and SolFocus held a grand opening ceremony today for the largest solar power plant in North America using concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems.

After two months of construction, the one megawatt solar power plant is now providing clean power to Victor Valley College in Victorville, California.

About the Solar Power Plant:

• The Victor Valley College solar micro-generating facility is now connected to the regional electrical grid operated by Southern California Edison and will produce approximately 2.6 million kilowatt-hours annually, which is roughly 30 percent of the College’s electricity demand.
• Construction of the six acre plant was completed in two months.
• The plant is located on the college’s main campus and consists of 122 SolFocus SF-1100S CPV arrays.

Green Jobs Training:

• The college will be developing curriculum within its existing academic and technical programs around this innovative solar technology, including installation, operations, and maintenance.
• SolFocus will be supporting the college in its curriculum development around advanced solar energy technology including materials, training, and instruction.

Quotes from Grand Opening Participants:

• “As we open this facility today, Victor Valley College boasts one of the largest and most innovative on-campus solar plants in North America. In addition to providing energy cost savings and a new revenue stream, these 122 arrays will provide the ideal testing ground for our students to build green careers that support the nation’s new energy economy.” – Dr. Christopher O’Hearn, Superintendent and President, Victor Valley College
• “The beauty of this project is that we can provide one megawatt of clean power in the desert with minimal land and water impact. At the same time, we can train the next generation of solar professionals with innovative technology. SolFocus believes such distributed generation projects will mobilize other colleges, communities, and organizations across the U.S. to incorporate renewable energy into their power supply on the path toward even larger utility-scale projects. When you add it all up, you have a clear vision for the new energy economy.” – Mark Crowley, President and CEO, SolFocus (technology provider)
• “These types of infrastructure investments in sustainable technologies are a key driver for California’s economy, and are creating jobs today within the local community. The Golden State’s economy needs to maintain its competitive edge for growth and the clean tech sector is where the state can demonstrate its advanced innovation and growing green workforce. This trailblazing solar plant will provide students with training for a fast-growth career in California’s new energy economy, making California the best place in the world for green investment.” – Abel Maldonado, Lieutenant Governor of California
• “Victor Valley College is a great example for California Community Colleges and all higher education campuses to incorporate a solar power project on its facilities where feasible. I commend Victor Valley College for its innovation in creating an energy facility that not only provides energy savings, but will educate the future green workforce with practical, real-world job skills.” – José Millan, Vice Chancellor, California Community Colleges
• “New solar technologies like concentrator photovoltaics are sitting at the nexus of environmentally sustainable economic growth. California is leading the nation in progressive environmental policy objectives and this project showcases how policies set forth by SB 1 (California Solar Initiative) and AB32 (California Global Warming Solutions Act) are enabling economic growth and generating jobs.” – Barbara Riordan, Member of the California Air Resources Board
• “We were impressed with how quickly the SolFocus systems could be deployed. From groundbreaking to grid connection, this project was up and running in less than three months. As the project manager for the solar plant we were pleased to find a solar technology that offered such high value. It exceeded our expectations with its advanced technology and a 5-year payback period.” – Al McQuilkin, District Program Manager, gkkworks (project manager)

About CPV:

• SolFocus CPV technology employs a system of patented reflective optics to concentrate sunlight 650 times onto small, highly efficient solar cells.
• The SolFocus SF-1100S system deployed at the college uses approximately 1/1,000th of the active, expensive solar cell material compared to traditional photovoltaic panels. In addition, the cells utilized in SolFocus CPV systems have over twice the efficiency of traditional silicon photovoltaic cells.
• SolFocus offers environmental benefits including next-to-no water usage, a small land footprint with dual use potential, and no permanent shadowing or wildlife corridor disruption.