NADB invested in a 5 MWAC solar park

SAN ANTONIO, USA: The North American Development Bank (NADB) and NRG Solar LLC announce the signing of a $19.2 million loan for the construction of a 5-MWAC solar park to be located at the San Diego State University (SDSU) Imperial Valley Campus in Brawley, California.

The Imperial Irrigation District (IID), a State of California irrigation district and a publicly-owned utility, will purchase the electricity generated by the project under a 25-year term Power Purchase Agreement.

The project, certified by the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) on March 13, 2013, consists of designing, building and operating a 5 MWAC solar park using polycrystalline photovoltaic modules manufactured by Trina Solar mounted on ViaSol single-axis trackers and will be executed under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with Boeing. The solar park will interconnect to IID's grid at a point located approximately one-half mile east of the project site.

"NADB is proud to partner with NRG Solar on this project that will help increase the generation of solar energy in Imperial Valley, a region that has the potential of becoming one of the main generators of renewable energy in California," stated Geronimo Gutierrez, NADB Managing Director.

"Nothing is more critical to current and future sustainability efforts than the growing availability and diversity of environmentally friendly choices," said NRG's Richard Grosdidier, Senior Vice President of Commercial Execution. "We welcome the opportunity to reinforce our clean energy activity of providing clean, sustainable solar energy to the region, as well as offering a unique learning opportunity for the students at SDSU."

The solar park, as the announcement adds, is expected to generate sufficient electricity for the equivalent of about 1,935 households and will contribute to improving air quality for the residents of Imperial County through the avoidance of more than 4,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide and six metric tons of nitrogen oxides. The park will occupy approximately 40 acres of the university campus, and SDSU will have access to the facility for research and educational purposes.