News Article
GE Solar Technology Announces 23-Megawatt Contract
GE has announced an agreement to supply 23 megawatts (MW) of advanced solar equipment to Invenergy. Invenergy will install the solar equipment at its Grand Ridge Solar project ("Grand Ridge Solar"), now under construction in Illinois. When completed in mid-2012, Grand Ridge Solar will be the largest solar farm in the Midwest.
The Grand Ridge Solar site is located in La Salle County, Ill., adjacent to the company's Grand Ridge Wind project ("Grand Ridge Wind"). Invenergy, a leading clean energy company and the nation's largest independent wind power generation company, owns and operates Grand Ridge Wind, where 140 of GE's 1.5 MW series wind turbines are providing 210 MW of power.
"As we look to continue the expansion of our clean energy portfolio, advancements in technology have made solar a more competitive solution," said Michael Polsky, Invenergy's president and chief executive officer. "Having installed over 1,500 of GE's wind turbines at projects across the United States, integrating GE's solar technology is a natural fit."
"Invenergy again has established itself as a market leader by bringing its development capabilities to both wind and solar projects," said Victor Abate, vice president of GE's Renewable Energy business. "Expertise in multiple technologies is the future of the renewable energy landscape. At GE, we're uniquely able to partner on both wind and solar projects with customers like Invenergy."
In addition to supplying thin film solar panels to Grand Ridge Solar, GE also will supply packaged inverter skids that include Brilliance inverters, transformers and re-combiners, as well as GE SunIQ plant controls.