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SolarTAC ‘Plugs Into the Sun’ With Grand Opening

With the campus rapidly growing and expanding, invited guests see and celebrate world-class solar technologies at what is believed to be the largest test, demonstration and research facility in the U.S.

Aurora, Colo. – Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and dignitaries from state, local, and national government were on hand to celebrate and see what’s ‘plugged into the sun’ as SolarTAC membership hosted its grand opening on Tuesday, June 7.

Managed and operated by MRIGlobal, SolarTAC –the Solar Technology Acceleration Center—is located on 74 acres in Aurora, near the Denver International Airport. Today the site is nearly full with solar technologies and research from a membership comprised of energy giants such as Xcel Energy; Abengoa Solar; SunEdison; The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC; Amonix; and EPRI. SolarTAC’s mission is to increase the efficiency of solar products and rapidly deploy them to the commercial market.

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper addressed the crowd of several hundred saying, “SolarTAC will allow companies to test products for efficiency and durability. It will get ideas from the laboratory to consumer’s hands faster. We’re fortunate to have this national resource in our backyard, helping to keep Colorado's economy moving forward.”

SolarTAC’s uniqueness and importance was highlighted by several, including Tom Sack, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Director of Research Operations of MRIGlobal. MRIGlobal is a leader in both renewable energy development and improvements in carbon-based energy and has operated and managed the U.S. DOE’s NREL since 1977. With this perspective, Sack offered, “Because of our country’s economic environment, companies need the ability to test large, complex technologies at scales beyond the lab and bench. SolarTAC is doing exactly this. The result is access to faster, better, cheaper renewable technologies. Key to SolarTAC’s success has been the collaborative and supportive relationships among SolarTAC members, the City of Aurora, our friends in local, state, and federal government, and MRIGlobal. SolarTAC thrives because of these relationships and continues to gain momentum as new technologies get deployed and new members come on-board.”

“SolarTAC is unique in North America,” said Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer. “As people innovate new technology, the fastest path to success now runs through SolarTAC. It is the place to prove and improve this technology.”

The group was also addressed by Kevin Lynn, Lead Systems Integration, Solar Technologies at U.S. Department of Energy.

Though U.S. Representative Ed Perlmutter was unable to attend, Christopher Votoupal, his press aid, read this statement including, “Companies from all over the world are doing research at SolarTAC, and the original site is bursting at the seams. This research will lead to changing the way we power this nation and will produce breakthrough technology and products that will more quickly enter the marketplace. SolarTAC, Colorado's abundant sun, and world-class research institutions continue to attract clean tech companies creating jobs and growing our economy.”

Xcel Energy, founding member of SolarTAC, can attest to the journey leading to this celebration. “When we broke ground for this facility in October 2009, it was our vision to see the development of a world-class solar testing and demonstration center that would bring together technology providers and users, research institutions and government agencies,” said Dick Kelly, chairman and CEO, Xcel Energy. “The Solar Technology Acceleration Center certainly is all of that – it has made us partners in developing new and more advanced solar technologies. It is helping Xcel Energy to create a clean energy future for our customers at a reasonable cost.”

The Aurora site offers flat, graded topography and 300 days of sunshine a year in one of the most progressive renewable energy states in the country. SolarTAC executive director, added, “This is a celebration of the most advanced utility scale and commercial solar energy systems in the world. At SolarTAC, we celebrate what has been accomplished and rally together toward what we as a group can accomplish in the future,” says Dustin T. Smith, executive director of SolarTAC.

Smith concluded, “This celebration is only a milestone. We have room for more research acceleration and collaboration. SolarTAC’s business concept allows members to sponsor a wide range of research projects, from research that is completely proprietary to research that is shared between members to research that is available to the public.”

SolarTAC is also open to research sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and by the national labs like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) located in Golden, Colo.

Additional comments from SolarTAC membership include:

From Abengoa Solar’s Henry W. Price, vice president of technology:
“SolarTAC is an important part of Abengoa's U.S. development approach to new technologies. The facilities and infrastructure at the site allow us to test, then demonstrate key components under development. New technology development is critical for Abengoa to deploy large-scale plants, such as Solana in Arizona, and industrial solar installations, such as the Englewood Correctional Facility. SolarTAC provides a mechanism to advance solar technology deployments and an environment for collaboration among industry, academic, and public laboratories.”

From NREL’s Deputy Lab Director for Science & Technology Dana Christensen:
“The Alliance for Sustainable Energy is excited to see the SolarTAC vision come to life. This collaboration provides a unique opportunity for evaluation of solar technology performance under real-world conditions and contributes to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's critical role in developing and testing the next generation of solar energy technologies together with its integration onto the electric grid.”

From Amonix CEO, Brian Robertson:
“We are pleased to be part of SolarTAC to showcase our proven CPV technology in partnership with Xcel energy. CPV solar is the best choice in sunny and dry climates because of its compelling bottom lines. These include the highest efficiency of any solar technology, low levelized cost of energy and the fact that CPV uses no water in the production of energy.”

About SolarTAC

Managed and operated by MRIGlobal (formerly Midwest Research Institute),SolarTAC is a world-class test facility where the solar industry can test, validate and demonstrate near-market and advanced solar technologies. The SolarTAC mission is to provide a location where members of the solar industry can do research to increase the efficiency of solar products and rapidly deploy them to the commercial market. Situated on a 74-acre site in Aurora, Colorado and near the Denver International Airport, the SolarTAC site offers a neutral research and testing environment, and 300 days of sunshine a year in one of the most progressive renewable energy states in the country. Additional acreage is readily available for future expansion. Membership includes Xcel Energy, Abengoa Solar, SunEdison, Amonix, Alliance for Sustainable Energy, EPRI. For more information, visit www.solartac.org.

About MRIGlobal

MRIGlobal, a not-for-profit research and development organization, delivers global solutions in national security and defense, energy and environment, life and animal sciences, agriculture and food safety, and transportation. The organization performs scientific research, advanced engineering and program integration & management for clients in government, industry and academia. Established in 1944 as Midwest Research Institute, MRIGlobal is based in Kansas City, Mo., operates in nine states and Washington, D.C., and manages more than 3,000 employees.

MRIGlobal is leader in both renewable energy development and improvements in carbon-based energy. The organization is one of two partners in the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, which manages and operates the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., for the U.S. Department of Energy. MRIGlobal established and manages SolarTAC and supports the National Energy Technology Laboratory for the DOE to develop technologies for clean coal, carbon management, energy efficiency and techno/economic analysis of energy systems.

For more information, visit www.mriglobal.org.

About the City of Aurora

More than 325,000 people and 10,000 businesses choose to call Aurora home, making it the third most populous city in Colorado and the 58th largest in the country. The City of Aurora, ranks the eighth safest among cities of its size, offers an extensive range of services to create a livable, enjoyable community. Just minutes away from Denver International Airport, the strategically located city serves as the gateway to the Rockies.

City leaders’ vision for growth focuses the principles of sustainability, energy efficiency and renewable energy. Solar TAC is located on city of Aurora land master planned for furthering renewable energy projects. For more information on the City of Aurora visit www.auroragov.org.

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