2021 has been a year of both successes and challenges…
In a year plagued by supply chain disasters and continued pandemic woes, we have alleviated the pain otherwise felt by the rest of the industry through our unique approach to project solutions and our business practices that bring added value to our customers.
Through tremendous growth, diligence, dependability, strength, and determination we solidified our spot as the No. 10 solar contractor in the nation, among other top state rankings, secured a spot on the Inc. 5,000 list, and took home the Gold Medal as one of just four other companies on Inc. Magazine‘s Best in Business List in the Construction category.
We expanded our scope into Canada, continued to build lasting partnerships, and forged new ones along the way to allow meaningful work to continue the clean energy transition and create a better future for the planet.
MONTEREY, CALIF. January 29th, 2018 – RPCS is pleased to congratulate Cenergy Power and sPower on the completion of their MCE Solar One project. A local renewable energy project built on an old refinery, MCE Solar One is a new 60-acre, 10.5 MW ground mount solar farm in Richmond, California.
The project deployed approximately 80,000 ground mounted modules using both a fixed tilt rack as well as single axis trackers, with RPCS supplying and installing the Array Technologies DuraTrack® HZ v3 tracker for the SAT portion. Pre-development costs were covered in part by customers participating in MCE’s Deep Green 100% renewable energy service. Once completed, MCE Solar One will generate renewable energy to power 3,417 homes per year.
MCE and the city of Richmond also committed to a 50 percent local hire requirement to build MCE Solar One, guaranteeing local benefits through clean energy job creation. In supporting this local hire requirement, MCE created over 300 jobs by partnering with RichmondBUILD, a program that focuses on developing skill in the high growth, high wage construction and renewable energy sectors. Eighty percent of graduates from RichmondBUILD’s programs are placed into well-paying jobs. MCE will train and hire skilled graduates of the RichmondBuild program as employees for the project.
“It’s great seeing an old refinery convert its property to a solar project. Overcoming site-specific environmental and property challenges on this site is proof that more of these projects are going to keep happening. It was a pleasure supporting MCE, sPower, and our long-term partners at Cenergy while providing opportunities for local workers through RichmondBUILD,” said RPCS Chief Sales Officer Alex Smith. “This project is a real achievement for everyone involved and a success for lots of people on lots of different levels. We’re very happy to have helped support MCE Solar One and to congratulate MCE, sPower, and Cenergy Power.”
Together, MCE, sPower, Cenergy, and RPCS are working toward increasing the use of renewable energy resources in an effort to help the state reach its greenhouse gas reduction goals, all while creating local jobs and clean power.
About RP Construction Services, Inc.: RPCS designs and builds ground mount solar projects using the industry’s gold standard for quality, the Array Technologies DuraTrack® HZ v3 Single-Axis Tracker. With over 300 MW and over 180 projects completed or under construction throughout the United States, RPCS provides full turnkey service and support for the industry’s most bankable and reliable tracker. RPCS’s expert knowledge of Array Technologies’ trackers ensures world class turnkey project assistance including site layout optimization, ancillary engineering services, tracker and foundation procurement, and complete mechanical installation. The team at RPCS provides reliable support at every step of the project, delivering a level of quality and efficiency that parallels ATI’s market reputation. For more information about RPCS, please visit rpcs.com or call us at 831.620.2188.
About Array Technologies, Inc.: Array Technologies, Inc. is the leading solar tracking solutions and services provider for utility-scale projects. With efficient installation and terrain flexibility coupled with high reliability, durability, and performance, Array delivers the best project returns in the industry. As the chosen tracker for more than 16 GW years of energy production, Array’s products have been optimized through unparalleled experience garnered over nearly three decades. Array Technologies is headquartered in the United States with offices in Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East, and Australia. For more information, please visit arraytechinc.com.
MONTEREY, CALIF. – January 26th – On Wednesday, an official ribbon cutting ceremony for Cal Poly’s first solar farm celebrated the successful completion of a high profile and very meaningful solar project. The new solar farm is the first energy-related project since the university announced their goal of climate neutrality.
The 18.5-acre 4.5 MW AC solar site containing more than 16,000 solar panels is located on the western side of the CalPoly campus in San Luis Obispo, California. Set to generate more than 11 million kWh each year (enough to power over 1,000 homes), the solar farm will produce up to 25% of the university’s total electricity needs while creating nearly $17 million in savings.
CalPoly partnered with REC Solar, a San Luis Obispo-based company founded by two CalPoly alumni, and RPCS to design, construct, and install the site. The site is being financed by Duke Energy via a power purchase agreement that will allow CalPoly to purchase energy at a lower rate without paying upfront for the cost of the system’s construction and maintenance.
The solar farm uses ground-mounted single-axis tracking technology from RPCS partner Array Technologies. This innovative technology, specifically Array Technologies’ DuraTrack HZ v3 system, increases energy production of the solar modules by 20 to 25 percent over fixed-tilt systems. RPCS is the trusted DG partner for Array Technologies’ solar tracker systems and provides leading U.S. solar companies with turnkey services in the ground mount utility-scale solar sector.
Photo: REC Solar
The solar farm will also provide an added opportunity for students to study and conduct experiments in a hands-on environment. The site will incorporate a newly created solar engineering and microgrid laboratory to maximize academic applications for students and faculty.
“CalPoly is an important project for a lot of reasons and RPCS is proud to have contributed to its success. It was a pleasure making sure the trackers and installation were perfect and that everything from boundaries, topo, environmental, and schedule challenges were handled beautifully. All of us who worked on this project will remember it and be proud to visit for decades to come,” said Alex Smith, RPCS’s Chief Sales Officer. “Congrats to REC, Duke, and CalPoly’s leadership and students!”
The CalPoly campus is located on California’s Central Coast and in an environmentally sensitive and restricted area, neighboring the area’s iconic Bishop’s Peak. The geological realities for a ground mount project in this location included significant sloping and undulations as well as challenging soils which required sophisticated foundation designs and installation methods.
In addition, the campus neighbors an equestrian center, where subjecting the resident horses to noise was a concern. The team was also under strict regulations to ensure that construction did not interfere with important artifacts from nearby Native American cultural sites. RPCS adjusted its schedule and planned on behalf of REC and Duke to ensure that the installation timing, methods, and durations would be considerate and effective in reducing construction noise and disturbance.
The university is known for its sprawling, breathtaking grounds, so ensuring that it would remain pristine before, during, and after construction was a special goal that RPCS was able to achieve.
About RP Construction Services, Inc.: RPCS designs and builds ground mount solar projects using the industry’s gold standard for quality, the Array Technologies DuraTrack® HZ v3 Single-Axis Tracker. With over 300 MW and over 180 projects completed or under construction throughout the United States, RPCS provides full turnkey service and support for the industry’s most bankable and reliable tracker. RPCS’s expert knowledge of Array Technologies’ trackers ensures world class turnkey project assistance including site layout optimization, ancillary engineering services, tracker and foundation procurement, and complete mechanical installation. The team at RPCS provides reliable support at every step of the project, delivering a level of quality and efficiency that parallels ATI’s market reputation. For more information about RPCS, please visit rpcs.com or call us at 831.620.2188.
About Array Technologies, Inc.:Array Technologies, Inc. is the leading solar tracking solutions and services provider for utility-scale projects. With efficient installation and terrain flexibility coupled with high reliability, durability, and performance, Array delivers the best project returns in the industry. As the chosen tracker for more than 16 GW years of energy production, Array’s products have been optimized through unparalleled experience garnered over nearly three decades. Array Technologies is headquartered in the United States with offices in Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East, and Australia. For more information, please visit arraytechinc.com.
In 1999, I had an internship at Sunlight & Power as a laborer for solar thermal and PV installations on residences. One day a project would be in Oakland, and the next day we would be in Redwood City. Solar was few and far between; my father called it a “hobby job” …
Today, the Department of Energy estimates that solar jobs are no longer a hobby. In fact, over 250,000 people are employed by this bright emerging technology sector. A light in the dark coal mining history of energy, the renewable energy industry along with distributed energy storage aims to create infrastructure jobs that cannot be exported or imported. Solar installed on US soil must be installed in the US. These jobs are only threatened by politics.
As a microstudy, our little company stgrpcs.wpengine.com has worked with 417 local hires in South Carolina, Colorado, Indiana, New Mexico, Georgia, Florida, California, North Carolina, Tennessee, Nebraska, and Mississippi – and I think I am missing a few others. We provide training and work. Our developer & EPC clients provide these great and expanding opportunities to build infrastructure that is local. In one particular town, Barnwell, South Carolina – the town treated us as family for many of the local sons & daughters came to work with us on the solar farm…. and there is more to come! We cannot stop the sun.
How many people work with your solar company? I bet it’s a growing number.
Why stop that growth? I am yet to hear a valid reason; yes there are technical challenges with storage and distribution – but let’s not run away from those challenges.
When we look at the world, what do we see? China installs solar too, yes. Is that a bad thing? The Chinese have installed more solar in the last 3 years than the USA and Germany (#2 and #3 PV Countries) combined in the last 15 years. Why not benefit from those economies of scale that a global economy creates?
Who are we protecting when we place a tariff?
In India, the price of solar panels has been reported as low as $0.34/watt-DC. The entire WORLD is installing solar these days. Why would we build a tariff wall to put ourselves behind the rest of the world? Let’s use these valuable US dollar$ to buy some non-plastic energy producing goods that will create skilled jobs, improve the infrastructure, and beef up energy security in the USA. If we let this thing ride, the opportunities and jobs will continue to grow.
In the US, new states are embracing wind, solar, and energy storage – with minnesota, illinois, nebraska, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and many more realizing that solar energy is less expensive, and easier to deploy and maintain, than any other type of energy generation.
Let the sun shine in! This industry is not a hobby; it is now a global juggernaut. The USA should be leading the way, so I vote that we raise the bar.
i1 Energy Provides EPC services for Solar Projects throughout the country.
I1 Energy to EPC 6.8-MW solar project in New Mexico
I1 Energy, has executed a turnkey engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with Onyx Renewable Partners L.P. for its 6.8 MW (dc) Middle Daisy Solar project in Lovington, New Mexico. The project includes a 69-kV substation and switch.
Design and procurement services are underway and the project is expected to be completed by the end of Q3. Onyx’s CEO Matthew Rosenblum said, “We are excited to work with i1 as we build our company’s first solar project in New Mexico.”
Topher Wood, COO of i1 Energy, said, “We are very excited to be working with Onyx to provide utility solar in New Mexico. This project kicks-off a strong start for i1 Energy and we look forward to continuing to provide quality projects alongside our partners in the industry.”
RPCS is proud to support i1 Energy on their inaugural EPC solar project in New Mexico. The team at RPCS is looking forward to building a portfolio of projects with the i1 team using the industry’s trusted choice for tracker quality and reliability, the Array Technologies DuraTrack® HZ V3 Single Axis Tracker.
Members from the RPCS team will join Array Technologies at booth 9811
MONTEREY, CA – RPCS (RP Construction Services Inc.) is excited to be attending Intersolar North America 2017, and will be holding meetings with customers at the Array Technologies Inc. company booth 9811, located on the 3rd floor of the conference. RPCS is honored to represent the world’s most reliable tracker as ATI’s Exclusive Value Added Reseller for all projects 10 MW (ac) and under.
RPCS provides complete, turnkey services for ATI’s DuraTrack® HZ v3 single axis tracker product. Providing expert knowledge and support for the Array product, RPCS can assist you with site layout optimization, optimized foundation design, ATI procurement and foundation post procurement. Our team also offers turnkey mechanical installation services, ATI commissioning and a full parts & labor warranty.
RPCS has completed over 125 ATI DG projects in the past two years. RPCS has partnerships with the solar industry’s leading EPCs, and is currently building portfolios of Array Technologies DuraTrack® HZ v3 projects throughout the country.
RPCS will demo ATI’s live DuraTrack® HZ v3 tracker system, optimized for both traditional 72 cell and First Solar module applications. Let RPCS show you why the ATI DuraTrack® HZ is the best tracker in the industry, and how you can work with RPCS to make integrating trackers into your project portfolios a seamless, stress free experience.
New Solar Field Under Construction South of Mitchell
If you’ve driven south along State Road 37 lately, you’ve probably noticed the solar panel field under construction just south of Mitchell.
Orange County REMC will be the beneficiary of that new solar array being installed south of White River Co-Op, between State Road 37 and Clover Lane. The field is being built by Hoosier Energy.
The local project is one of 10 solar fields being built by Hoosier Energy. It is the 10th to be completed and is slated to go online later this year. That could be as early as September, if all goes well. A dedication is tentatively planned for Sep. 14.
Construction began earlier this month and it is expected to take three months to build the array, get interconnected and connect to the grid. The total average cost for the 10 solar arrays that Hoosier Energy has built in this project is $2.5 million per array. According to Hoosier Energy, the cost of energy production in this type of array is actually cheaper than if a member was to install their own system at their own home.
The solar array is a 1 megawatt array with 4,000 solar panels and 18 inverters that convert the DC generated power into AC electricity that can be used in the home. The array will generate 2 million kilowatt hours, which is enough to power about 150 houses, according to Matt Deaton, General Manager of Orange County REMC, and information provided to the paper.
Orange County REMC has about 8,000 meters in its coverage area with about 93 percent of those being residential meters. Construction crews are currently installing more than 4,100 solar panels. Each panel weighs about 52 pounds. The panels are QCells and are engineered in Germany. The panels are being installed on vertical posts that have been driven into the ground. The vertical posts are connected with a horizontal rod to which the panels are connected. This vertical rod is motorized and the panels will be able to rotate with the movement of the sun, allowing for maximum collection.
That means the panels will be facing east in the morning and will gradually rotate toward the west as the earth rotates.
The lifespan of the array is projected at 25 years and it covers more than 8 1/2 acres.
Hoosier Energy covers most of southern Indiana, from just north of Bloomington south to the Ohio River.
In 2000, 100 percent of Hoosier Energy’s electricity was generated by burning coal. Today, only 58 percent is generated through burning coal, with an additional 37 percent generated through natural gas plants and the remaining 5 percent through renewable sources. It is projected that, by 2025, at least 10 percent will be produced through renewable sources. Renewable sources include: landfill gas, coal bed methane, hydro-electric, wind and solar energy.
By diversifying their generation methods, Hoosier Energy hopes to better control its costs for generating power and therefore stabilize the rates charged to consumers.
Array Technologies Leads U.S. Market in Solar Tracker Shipments
Solar tracker manufacturer has shipped six GW of solar trackers globally
October 25, 2016 — Array Technologies, Inc. (ATI), the global leader in solar tracking solutions and services, announced today it has shipped six GW of solar trackers globally. The news comes on the heels of GTM Research’s recent report The Global PV Tracker Landscape 2016: Prices, Forecasts, Market Shares and Vendor Profiles, which reported that ATI is the nation’s market share leader in solar tracker manufacturing based on MW volume of tracker shipments.
The Global PV Tracker Landscape 2016 report notes that ATI is not only the U.S. market leader in solar tracking, but also has “the most extensive track record of any tracking vendor and is in the top tier of bankable tracking vendors.”
ATI’s unmatched experience is a key component to the company’s leadership in the industry. While newer competitors face a steep learning curve, ATI’s culture of innovation combined with wisdom from decades in the field and over 12,900 MW years of tracker operation enables the company to provide technology with both low up-front costs and long-term, proven reliability. ATI’s trackers have a simple and elegant design, with the flexibility to adapt to a variety of terrains. While many competing tracker architectures contain more than 29,000 parts in a 100 MW solar plant, an ATI-equipped plant of the same size is comprised of a mere 187 parts, drastically reducing the complexity of install and the level of operations and management required to maintain the project. ATI’s trackers are also robustly designed to survive extreme weather conditions in any tracker position, unlike alternative trackers which rely on assuming a specific position, such as wind-stow, to withstand weather events.
“With 27 years exclusively dedicated to solar tracking, Array Technologies has learned the best processes, business strategies and technology advancements to provide both a high-quality and low-cost product,” said Ron Corio, CEO of ATI. “We look forward to growing our leadership beyond the U.S. to meet the needs of the global utility-scale solar market.”
The GTM Research report follows a recent announcement that the Power Opportunities group of Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., a private equity investment strategy focused on accelerating the performance of businesses in the energy and power industries, invested in ATI to enhance the tracker company’s global expansion. The firm targets leading infrastructure and equipment businesses in the energy space. The partnership provides ATI with the capital and strategic support needed to expand the company’s global utility-scale solar tracker operations.
About Array Technologies, Inc.:
Array Technologies is the worldwide market leader in tracking solutions for utility and commercial solar electric generation systems, with six gigawatts shipped and installed across the globe. Over the past 27 years, Array’s innovation in solar tracker design and delivery has set the bar for providing the lowest levelized cost of electricity through our easy to install, maintain, and highly reliable tracking systems. Headquartered in Albuquerque, NM, Array Technologies’ solutions are engineered in the USA. For more information about Array Technologies, please visit arraytechinc.com, connect with us on LinkedIn, join us on G+, follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Array Technologies, Inc. (ATI), the world’s leading manufacturer of reliable solar tracking solutions, announces an expansion of their highly successful partnership with solar design and construction company, RP Construction Services, Inc. (RPCS). RPCS now serves as ATI’s exclusive national Value Added Reseller (VAR) for all projects 10 MW (ac) and under.
Working together since 2009, the Array Technologies and RP Construction Services teams have shared great success in the solar tracker market, servicing leading solar companies across a diverse range of portfolios and projects.
“Array Technologies continues to be the tracker market’s standard for quality. We’re honored that Array trusts RPCS as their exclusive value added partner for all projects under 10 MW (ac), ensuring that system owners will recognize the ATI quality through both engineering and installation,” said Eb Russell, founder and President of RP Construction Services Inc.
“I know the RPCS team well and consider them an extension of the ATI team. They do excellent work and will make their customers’ projects successful in every way,” said Ron Corio, founder and CEO of Array Technologies, Inc. “We are looking forward to expanding our reach into the DG space through this strong partnership that supports a growing market segment demanding reliable, high-performing tracker solutions.”
RP Construction Services is currently building DuraTrack® HZ installations across the country, assisting major solar companies with their growing portfolios of single-axis tracker projects.
About Array Technologies, Inc.:
Array Technologies is the worldwide market leader in tracking solutions for utility and commercial solar electric generation systems, with nearly 6 gigawatts shipped and installed across the globe. Over the past twenty-seven years, Array’s innovation in solar tracker design and delivery has set the bar for providing the lowest levelized cost of electricity through our easy to install, maintain, and highly reliable tracking systems. Headquartered in Albuquerque, NM, Array Technologies’ solutions are engineered in the USA. For more information about Array Technologies, please visit arraytechinc.com, connect with us on LinkedIn, join us on G+, follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
About RP Construction Services, Inc.:
RPCS’ expert knowledge of Array Technologies’ trackers ensures world class turnkey project assistance including site layout optimization, ancillary engineering services, tracker supply, foundation post procurement, and complete mechanical installation. The team at RPCS provides reliable support at every step of their projects, delivering a level of quality and efficiency that parallels ATI’s market reputation. For more information about RPCS, please visit rpcs.com or call us at (855) 428-3000 or (646) 831-0663.
RPCS is now Ampacity
Momentum is everything in clean energy. And we’re accelerating the transition with expanded capabilities and new possibilities. So we’re excited to announce a new name and a new look. We’re still the same company you know and love, but better positioned to expedite clean energy—and your impact. Meet Ampacity. Let’s put your project in motion.
MONTEREY, CALIF. January 29th, 2018 – RPCS is pleased to congratulate Cenergy Power and sPower on the completion of their MCE Solar One project. A local renewable energy project built on an old refinery, MCE Solar One is a new 60-acre, 10.5 MW ground mount solar farm in Richmond, California.
In 1999, I had an internship at Sunlight & Power as a laborer for solar thermal and PV installations on residences. One day a project would be in Oakland, and the next day we would be in Redwood City. Solar was few and far between; my father called it a “hobby job” …
