SunPower Corp. announced that construction is underway on a 3.5-megawatt SunPower solar power system at Macy's, Inc. online fulfillment center in Goodyear, Ariz. The system will deliver the equivalent of 70 percent of the 600,000-square-foot building's electricity demand, and is expected to be the largest solar system on a single rooftop in the U.S. when it is completed in March of 2011.
Since 2007, Macy's has partnered with SunPower to install solar power systems on 31 Macy's facilities. These systems include a 1-megawatt installation that was recently completed on the retailer's distribution center in City of Industry, Calif. that generates the equivalent of half the power used at the facility. Upon completion of the solar power system in Goodyear, Macy's will have more than 12 megawatts of SunPower systems installed at its facilities.
SunPower is designing and installing the Goodyear system, and will provide ongoing operations and maintenance services. SunPower's E19 solar panels, the most powerful solar panels on the market today, will be installed at the site. The solar panels will be mounted using SunPower rooftop technology, including the SunPower(R) T5 Solar Roof Tile system, which approximately doubles the energy generated per square meter compared to systems that are mounted flat onto commercial rooftops.
According to estimates provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Goodyear system is expected to offset more than 3,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, which is equivalent to removing more than 600 cars from Arizona's highways each year.
"We applaud Macy's for its forward-thinking approach to environmental sustainability and corporate responsibility," said Jim Pape, president of SunPower's residential and commercial group. "SunPower's reliable, high quality solar technology will deliver emission-free solar power and significant operational savings for Macy's in Arizona for the next 25 years or more."
Arizona Public Service, the regional utility serving the Goodyear area, is buying the renewable energy credits associated with the system.