Standard Solar CEO Scott Wiater told us about the company’s plans to start owning and financing more projects, and they are hitting the ground running, announcing financing for solar arrays on 15 new sites for the DC Department of General Services (DGS). This group of projects will be about 2,000 MWh of additional onsite solar generation per year. DC Solar, a CBE JV with headquarters in the District of Columbia, developed the project and Standard Solar will own and operate the facilities. Construction on the first site is already under way and the project sites are expected to be completed and in-service in the spring 2018.
The solar arrays join the city’s rapidly growing solar portfolio which helped the District be designated the first city in the world to become a LEED Platinum city. In the past two years, with Standard Solar’s support, DGS has engineered and installed solar arrays on the roofs of 30+ public schools, other educational buildings (including administrative offices), police and fire facilities. Those projects are now producing solar electricity totaling more than 7MW, or approximately 20 percent of the buildings’ electricity consumption. With the added 15 sites, onsite solar generation capacity will total more than 11MW on 50+ buildings in the District.
Through its new in-house financing capabilities, Standard Solar is able to provide a ready source of funding for solar PV projects nationally. In addition, Standard Solar is providing mentoring services to District firms for development, engineering and construction, sharing the experience gained from installing more than 9.5MWs in the District since 2009.
“We’re thrilled to help move our nation’s capital even further along in its mission to lead the rest of the world with its commitment to renewable energy,” said Tony Clifford, Chief Development Officer, Standard Solar. “For us, it was an easy decision to provide project funding for this round of projects and add to the city’s sterling reputation for climate-change leadership.”
— Solar Builder magazine
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