SPI Solar to Build 400-kW System for Volkswagen’s U.S. Technical Center

SPI Solar, a vertically integrated PV solar developer, today announced that it has been contracted by BLT Enterprises to design and build a 400-kW DC distributed generation PV solar energy facility to help power operations at Volkswagen’s U.S. Test Center California which encompasses a Technical Center and an Emissions Laboratory located in Oxnard, Calif. The center, currently under construction by an affiliate of BLT Enterprises, is a 63,500 sq-ft facility which will be one of the automobile industry’s most advanced emissions testing and power train development facilities. The center will be used by various brands within the Volkswagen Group which includes Volkswagen, Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley and Bugatti.

The solar energy system being designed by SPI will utilize a mix of rooftop and carport structures to host the onsite solar array. It is the second large-scale system SPI has produced for BLT. In January 2011, SPI announced completion of a 398-kW system at BLT’s Fremont, Calif., waste-recovery operation facility.

“We are fortunate to enjoy a long-term working relationship with BLT Enterprises,” said Steve Kircher, CEO for SPI Solar. “BLT is an innovative commercial development company and this will be the second large-scale distributed generation solar energy facility we have designed and built for them. We look forward to having our systems integrated into more of their buildings in the future.”

“As traditionally sourced energy costs rise, it is becoming increasingly more important to offset them with thoughtful and sustainable energy platforms that can be deployed onsite and reduce long-term operation costs,” said Rob Solomon, Chief Development and Legal Officer for BLT Enterprises. “It is also fundamental to Volkswagen’s mission to operate the center in a manner that is consistent with its environmental mission. This solar energy facility helps to fulfill a major part of that mission.”

SPI expects to begin construction of the solar energy facility in the first quarter of 2012.