Governor, City Dedicate 10 MW SUN Park

DOVER, Del. -- At a ceremony attended by Delaware Governor Jack Markell, Dover Mayor Carleton E. Carey, Sr., Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Contol Secretary Collin O'Mara and other dignitaries, White Oak Solar Energy, LLC and SunPower Corp. recognized the commencement of operations of the 10 MW Dover SUN Park. Dover SUN Park is delivering solar power to the local utility distribution grid with the city of Dover, Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation, Delmarva Power, and the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility purchasing the renewable energy credits associated with the system.

"The Dover SUN Park helped put people to work and is producing clean energy during the times of day when power use is at its peak," said Governor Markell. "This is good for the city of Dover and it's good for Delaware. This project really shows what can be accomplished when so many people in the community work together."

Dover SUN Park's six-month construction phase supported the local economy through job creation, and purchases of local materials and services, with more than 80 percent of the construction jobs being filled by Delaware residents. LS Power estimates that Dover SUN Park is generating the equivalent amount of electricity to power more than 1,500 Delaware homes. According to estimates provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it will offset more than 12,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

SunPower designed and built Dover SUN Park, installing SunPower Tracker systems at the 103-acre site, with SunPower E20 solar panels. The Tracker follows the sun's movement during the day, increasing sunlight capture by up to 25 percent over conventional fixed-tilt systems, while significantly reducing land use requirements.

SOURCE: Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control