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A New 'Power Couple': Constellation Energy selects Satcon for 65MW of U.S. Installations

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June 07, 2011

A New 'Power Couple': Constellation Energy selects Satcon for 65MW of U.S. Installations

By Cheryl Kaften
TMCnet Contributor

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Satcon Technology Corporation, which provides utility-scale power conversion solutions for the renewable energy market, has been selected by Constellation Energy for 65 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic (PV) power projects across the United States.


The installations feature a variety of different panel technologies (thin-film, polycrystalline) and array types (ground-mount, rooftop) and will use Satcon inverters. A solar inverter or PV inverter changes the direct current (DC) electricity from a photovoltaic array into alternating current (AC) for use with home appliances and a utility grid.

The largest of the installations is a 30-megawatt solar generation project in Sacramento, California.  The system will comprise about 381,000 ground-mounted thin-film PV panels, installed at multiple sites, and will feature 25 Satcon PowerGate Plus 1 MW inverters. Constellation Energy will own and operate the system and sell the electricity generated from it to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) under ten, 20-year power purchase agreements. The project is anticipated to be commercially operational by the end of this year.

“This utility-scale generation project is an attractive opportunity for Constellation Energy to grow its existing solar portfolio,” said Andrew Good, senior vice president of Corporate Strategy and Development for Baltimore-based Constellation Energy. “We're excited to invest in this project, which will help provide a long-term source of clean and emissions-free electricity to more than half a million customers in SMUD's (News - Alert) service territory.”

In addition to the Sacramento installations, Constellation has selected Boston-based Satcon for a 5.38-megawatt on-site solar rooftop system, at Toys ‘R’ Us in Flanders, New Jersey, which, when complete, will be one of the largest such installations in North America. The system will use 13 Satcon PowerGate Plus 500 kW inverters and is expected to generate approximately 6,362 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity each year.

The remaining Constellation Energy systems will use Satcon PowerGate Plus 500 kW or Equinox 500 kW inverters, part of Satcon's industry leading portfolio of utility-scale power conversion solutions, with over 2 gigawatts (GW) sold worldwide.

“We believe that system design should always be based on customer needs and the requirements of the site,” said Ron Melchior, vice president of Renewable Energy for Constellation Energy's retail business. “Satcon's technology and ability to tailor each power conversion solution to each installation made them the logical choice for these solar power projects.”

“These 65 megawatts of solar power installations across the United States demonstrate the strong growth we are seeing in the North American utility-scale solar power market,” said Satcon CEO Steve Rhoades. “We look forward to working closely with Constellation now and in the future to drive further penetration of utility-scale solar power in North America.”

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Cheryl Kaften is an accomplished communicator who has written for consumer and corporate audiences. She has worked extensively for MasterCard (News - Alert) Worldwide, Philip Morris USA (Altria), and KPMG, and has consulted for Estee Lauder and the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspapers. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell

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