National laboratory 'flips switch' on east coast's largest solar array

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National laboratory 'flips switch' on east coast's largest solar array

National laboratory 'flips switch' on east coast's largest solar array

Written by CEIL Staff

Thursday, 08 December 2011 09:30

This past November, the DOE Brookhaven National Laboratory "flipped the switch" on the largest solar photovoltaic array in the eastern United States. The 164,312 solar panels hosted at the lab in New York state—one of the largest solar farms built on federal property—will produce enough energy to power up to 4,500 homes.

The 32-megawatt Long Island Solar Farm Project, a collaborative project between the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) and BP Solar International, Inc. (BP Solar), also boasts the smallest carbon footprint of any solar array with its amount of output. The use of a DOE site has helped attract investments from public and private sources, ensuring the economic success of the project and serving the nation's goal to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil.

"The result is a significant source of clean energy for Long Island, as well as a positive economic impact for the local workforce and businesses," said Mike Petrucci, CEO of BP Solar, noting that a true "team effort" contributed to the successful development and construction of the project. LIPA chief operating officer Michael D. Hervey said that the project will help New York state meet its goal of 30% renewable resources by 2015, in addition to the "creation of new, high-quality energy jobs."