The records keep on tumbling in the world of solar power as companies vie for the positive press coverage of having the “biggest” solar array in various categories.
The latest contender is Fedex in the USA, one of the world’s largest freight companies. Fedex announced last week the construction of the nation’s largest rooftop solar power system at its distribution hub in Woodbridge, New Jersey.
The 2.42 megawatt solar farm will cover approximately 3.3 acres of roof top space with approximately 12,400 BP solar panels.
The new solar farm will produce around 2.6 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year and could provide up to 30 percent of the hub’s annual energy needs. In an increasingly common arrangement, BP will install and operate the solar farm and FedEx will purchase the power generated.
Construction is scheduled to commence in August and expected to be finished by November this year. When the system is fully operating, the combined environmental benefits based on a projected annual reduction of approximately 1,867 metric tons of CO2 emissions is equivalent to 259 households’ electricity use for one year or over 340 passenger cars not driven for one year.
This project isn’t Fedex’s first foray into solar power. Last year, the company installed a 282 kilowatt system at facilities in Whittier, California and another 269 kilowatt solar array at in Fontana, California that meets up to 80 percent of the facility’s peak energy demand. FedEx is currently constructing its Central and Eastern European gateway at the Cologne/Bonn airport in Germany, which will include a 1.4-megawatt solar power system.
