Construction Underway for One of the World's Largest Solar Test and Demonstration Centers
AURORA, Colo., March 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Officials at Midwest Research Institute (MRI), the management and operating contractor for the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC), announced today that Dustin T. Smith has been appointed executive director of SolarTAC, a new world-class solar technology acceleration center that was launched last October and is currently under construction in Aurora, Colo.
SolarTAC represents a group of six public and private sector entities that joined forces to advance and accelerate the commercialization of solar technology and related job training through a 74-acre center that will be one of the largest solar test and evaluation facilities in the world. The center will enable utilities and solar industry members to test and demonstrate new solar technologies that are at the early-commercial or near-commercial stage of development. The entities involved in SolarTAC include: Abengoa Solar, SunEdison and Xcel Energy, who are the founding members, and the City of Aurora, The Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory, and MRI.
As executive director, Smith will report into MRI's Research Operations, effective March 16, and provide strategic leadership and overall direction for SolarTAC, while also developing and implementing operational plans for the center and its members. Smith comes to SolarTAC from MWH Global, Inc., located in Broomfield, Colo., where he was director of project and program development and deputy program manager for the MWH Business Solutions Group.
"We are delighted and fortunate to have Dustin join MRI and lead SolarTAC," said Michael F. Helmstetter, MRI executive vice president and director of Research Operations. "Dustin brings over 18 years of experience in leading multi-discipline, multimillion-dollar projects in engineering design, construction, program management, business process development, and operations support. He will be an asset to the team as we complete construction of the site and make SolarTAC operational."
Smith's prior experience includes positions at SurePower Corporation in Denver, Colo.; Carter & Burgess in Denver, Colo., and Oakland, Calif.; Enron Energy Services in San Ramon, Calif.; the Bentley Company in San Francisco; and ABB Impell Corporation in San Ramon, Calif. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering and Technology from Oklahoma State University.
Construction of the SolarTAC site began in late-October 2008 and is progressing on schedule. "The basic grading and elevation work have been completed and all civil construction, including drainage, basic roadways, and installation of underground utilities and service lines, is slated for completion by mid-May 2009," said Roger Starnes, MRI group vice president of Strategic and Emerging Program Development. Two common area buildings, including Xcel Energy's Colorado University Solar Decathlon exhibit, which will serve as a visitor center, and a water pump building, will be on site by July 2009. Construction of the founding member buildings and facilities are scheduled to begin over the spring and summer.
Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer emphasized the project's advantage, "SolarTAC's services are unmatched in the country. We're all about helping solar business succeed."
MRI, an independent scientific research institute, headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is managing the engineering design and construction effort for the site. Burns & McDonnell, an international engineering and architecture firm, also based in Kansas City, is developing the site plans and designs, while ICM-Pueblo, a construction management firm in Pueblo, Colo., is the general contractor.
SolarTAC representatives will be at the Renewable Energy World Conference and Expo North America in Las Vegas, Nev., March 10-12. Business representatives interested in accelerating the commercialization of solar technology may stop by the SolarTAC booth (#1106) to learn more about SolarTAC and options for gaining access to the site for testing and performance validation of integrated and grid-connected photovoltaic and concentrating solar energy systems. Additional information about SolarTAC is also available at www.solartac.org.
About Abengoa Solar
Abengoa Solar (www.abengoasolar.com) develops and deploys technologies to generate clean energy from the sun.
Abengoa Solar develops, designs, builds and operates in the U.S. Concentrating Solar Power (C.S.P.) and photovoltaic power plants and installations. Abengoa Solar also develops its own technology through R&D projects in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and NREL, among others.
About Sun Edison
SunEdison LLC is North America's largest solar energy services provider and operates across a global marketplace. SunEdison provides solar-generated energy at or below current retail utility rates to a broad and diverse client base of commercial, municipal and utility customers. For more information about SunEdison, please visit www.sunedison.com.
About Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy is a major U.S. electricity and natural gas company with regulated operations in eight Western and Midwestern states. Xcel Energy provides a comprehensive portfolio of energy-related products and services to 3.3 million electricity customers and 1.8 million natural gas customers through its regulated operating companies. Company headquarters are located in Minneapolis. More information is available at www.xcelenergy.com.
About Midwest Research Institute
MRI, a not-for-profit scientific research organization with 1,800 employees nationwide, performs contract research and laboratory consulting services for clients in government, industry, and academia. Established in 1944, MRI is one of the nation's leading independent research institutes conducting research in the areas of national security and defense, energy and environment, life sciences, food and agriculture, and transportation safety. With headquarters in Kansas City, MRI also has facilities in Palm Bay, Fla., Frederick, Md., and Rockville, Md. MRI is one of the two entities in the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, that manages the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., for the U.S. Department of Energy. For more information, visit www.mriresearch.org.
About Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory
The Collaboratory is a renewable energy research partnership among the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Colorado's premier research universities - Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University and the University of Colorado - Boulder. The Collaboratory seeks to develop and commercialize renewable energy technologies, promote economic growth in Colorado, the Rocky Mountain Region and the nation with renewable energy industries, and educate our nations' finest energy researchers, technicians and work force. The Collaboratory's research centers provide access to four world class institutions through a single point of contact. Nearly 50 companies, from Fortune 500 companies to clean energy startups, have already joined Collaboratory centers. More information is available at www.coloradocollaboratory.org.
About the City of Aurora
More than 309,000 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 sixth 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.
