Green
Power Switch News
Issue
No. 3, Fall 2001
The
Limelight Shines on Solar Sites in Chattanooga and Huntsville
All
11 solar sites planned as part of the first phase of renewable generation
for Green Power Switch are now operating, providing 250 kilowatts of solar-powered
electricity for the Tennessee Valley.
Finley Stadium in Chattanooga boasts the largest solar site in the Valley—and indeed in the entire Southeast. Its 11 canopy structures, or arrays, provide covering for a parking lot and will produce 127,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. That’s enough electricity to supply eight or nine typical Tennessee Valley homes or operate the Finley Stadium field lights for 90 football games.
The Finley Stadium solar site was dedicated in ceremonies August 28, and speakers included TVA Director Skila Harris, U.S. Representative Zach Wamp, Joe Ferguson, chairman of the Chattanooga Electric Power Board, and Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
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| TVA Director Skila Harris explains the basics of solar power to students from Lincoln Elementary School in Huntsville who attended the dedication of the Sci-Quest solar site. |
The solar generating facility in Huntsville is located at Sci-Quest, a nonprofit hands-on science center whose goal is to promote an understanding of today’s technology and stimulate creative thinking about the future. Officials of Huntsville Utilities, the City of Huntsville, and TVA joined Sci-Quest officials on September 21 to dedicate that facility, which is the first in Alabama.
The Sci-Quest photovoltaic modules can produce more than 41,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, or enough to supply two to three typical Tennessee Valley homes.
For more about Green Power Switch’s solar facilities, see the TVA solar sites page.
TVA
Requests Wind Power Proposals
TVA
is soliciting bids from firms to provide additional wind power for the
Green Power Switch program. The request for proposals (RFP) was issued
on July 3, 2001, for a range of 20 to 50 megawatts of wind energy. TVA
conducted wind site visitations at various locations on August 15 and
16. Fifteen companies attended, representing wind developers, turbine
manufacturers, and utilities.
The companies are evaluating the sites to determine the locations with the best wind potential. Proposals were due to TVA by the end of September, and TVA plans to make a selection by the end of calendar year 2001. The new wind-generation sources are expected to be online by the end of 2003.