Solar Power, Inc. Contracted to Develop 397kW Solar Project for Major San Francisco Bay Area Recycling Center

June 3, 2010
BLT Enterprises' Fremont, Calif.-based operation adds new layer of sustainability to its already green operations

Roseville, Calif.-based Solar Power, Inc. has been contracted by BLT Enterprises to design and construct a 397kW photovoltaic (PV) solar system to provide power for BLT Enterprises' Fremont Recycling and Transfer Station (FRTS) Fremont, Calif. FRTS handles the recycling and disposal needs for the residents of the Tri-Cities area (Fremont, Newark, and Union City) and in 2009 recycled nearly 14,000 tons of material. The incorporation of Solar Power, Inc.'s commercial PV solar system with BLT's inherently sustainable practices will make it one of the San Francisco Bay Area's greenest commercial operations.

Solar Power, Inc. will design and construct the solar system which will include a mix of rooftop racking and parking shade structures on which the 1,776 solar modules will be mounted. Once completed, the solar system will produce more than 576,000 kWh of electricity, and deliver more than $128,000 in savings during its first year of operation. The system will reduce the electrical utility costs of operating the FRTS by more than $4.24 million over 25 years. In addition to cost savings, during its first year of production the FRTS solar plant will produce environmental offsets equivalent to preserving 3.1 acres of forest and 447 metric tons of avoided carbon emissions.

"We are very pleased to be adding this solar system to our Fremont operation," says Shawn Guttersen, VP of BLT Enterprises. "It is a complement to our core values and mission to provide the means for environmentally responsible recycling and disposal of waste materials produced by communities across California."

"We are very happy to be chosen to work with BLT Enterprises to design and develop a PV solar plant that will help power its FRTS operations," says Stephen Kircher, chairman and CEO of Solar Power, Inc. "Our system will provide an excellent environmental complement to BLT Enterprises' strength as a green business."

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