Lockheed Martin teams with Tendril; Pattern Energy 101 MW wind plant starts operating; Alstom to supply steam equipment to GWF plant; Siemens wins government efficiency contract; GE Jenbacher introduces high-efficiency gas engine; OpenADR Alliance forms; Better Place gets into San Francisco taxis; EnerNOC enters TransAmerica Pyramid; and more.
Generation
American Capital Energy began installing one of North America’s largest rooftop solar arrays at the GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Northeast regional distribution center in York, Pa. When the 3 MW project is completed, nearly 11,000 solar panels are expected to generate approximately 3.4 million kWh of electricity per year, which GSK says is enough to supply the facility’s annual electricity needs. The project was supported by a $1 million grant from Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Financing Authority and $4.1 million in federal tax credits. GSK also plans to offset its costs by selling solar renewable energy credits (REC). GSK says it recently completed four other solar panel projects at its facilities in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Belgium and Singapore, and that it plans to install solar panels at its Fresno, Calif., distribution center in the spring of 2011.
Alstom signed a contract with U.S. independent power producer GWF Energy to supply heat recovery steam generators and a steam turbine to GWF’s power plant in Tracy, Calif. The project, which will convert the Tracy facility from a 169 MW gas-fired peaking plant to a 336 MW combined-cycle plant, will increase the plant’s efficiency while providing operational flexibility to support GWF’s power purchase agreement with Pacific Gas & Electric. The expanded plant is expected to begin commercial operation in 2012.