An aerial photograph of the new 9 MW solar farm located on the property owned by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). The solar project was made possible by a voluntary feed-in tariff (VFIT) offered by Indianapolis Power and Light (IPL) called Rate REP.
Ribbon cutting ceremony at IMS solar farm. The men in suits from left to right are: Mike Lafferty, President of Blue Renewable Energy; Scott Tonn, CEO of Sunwize; Doug Boles, President of Indianapolis Motor Speedway; Ken Zabzebski, President of AES US Business Unit and IPL parent; and David Kaltsas, President and COO of Sunwize.
Noticeably absent today was IPL Engineer John Haselden who was on vacation this week but not forgotten in remarks made today at the project.
For Immediate Release
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY SOLAR POWER FACILITY OPENS
IMS, IPL, SunWize Technologies, Blue Renewable Energy partner on project
INDIANAPOLIS, Tuesday, July 1, 2014 – A ribbon-cutting ceremony, held earlier today, marked the opening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Solar Farm located adjacent to the backstretch of the famed IMS 2.5-mile oval.
The IMS Solar Farm is the largest solar farm at any sporting facility in the world and features a total of 39,312 solar modules that generate 9.0 megawatts of power, which is equal to offsetting 10,288 tons of carbon annually. IMS used a portion of its 1,000 acre campus that was under-utilized and without a specific development plan.
SunWize Technologies, Inc., of San Jose, Calif., and Phoenix-based Blue Renewable Energy, co-developed the project. Blue Renewable Energy entered into a land-lease agreement with IMS to build the system on the property. The system was designed, engineered and installed by SunWize Technologies. Clenera and Swinerton Builders finalized the engineering and constructed the project on behalf of Centaurus Renewable Energy. Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL), an AES Company, is the system off-taker under the terms of a Power Purchase Agreement and will own the Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) produced by the solar power system.
“In 1909, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was constructed in part to help advance the automotive industry, which at that time was the new technology of the day,” said J. Douglas Boles, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president. “Today, IMS is honored to be part of a partnership with IPL, SunWize and Blue Renewable Energy where innovation and technology are coming together to bring diversification of generation resources to this community. The unused land at the IMS property just east of the race track has been transformed into a solar energy production facility that will provide an alternative source of energy to IPL customers.”
“Solar generation is an important component of IPL’s commitment to developing renewable generation resources,” said Ken Zagzebski, President of AES’ U.S. Strategic Business Unit, parent company of IPL. “The new IMS solar farm will be a constant reminder to those who visit the largest spectator sporting facility in the world of the creative solutions taking place here in Indianapolis to increase sustainability.”
“For over 100 years, the iconic IMS has broken its share of records. Now SunWize is honored to be part of the development and execution of this record-breaking solar project, the largest solar power system in the sporting world,” said Scott Tonn, Principal and Managing Director of Tonn Investments, an investor of SunWize Technologies.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Solar Farm Facts and Figures:
- Total area of land parcel on which the solar farm is built: 68 acres
- Net land area occupied by solar panels: 41.5 acres
- Quantity of individual 48” x 72” photovoltaic solar panels: 39,314
- Area of solar panels: 21.66 acres
- Based on 1100 kWh per household per month, number of homes for which the solar farm has the ability to meet the energy needs: 1,000 homes
- Approximate quantity of power produced by one 48” by 72” solar panel: 230 watts, which can power any of these items:
- Small appliance
- LCD television
- Window fan
- Electric blanket
- Desktop computer
About Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been the worldwide leader in motorsports entertainment since it opened in 1909. The facility has hosted the Indianapolis 500, the world’s largest single-day annual sporting event, since 1911, and also is the site of the Crown Royal Presents the “Your Hero’s Name Here” 400 at the Brickyard and the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. The NASCAR Nationwide Series and TUDOR United SportsCar Championship also race at the Speedway. IMS is the world’s largest spectator sporting facility and is the only venue to stage annual races in the Verizon IndyCar Series, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and MotoGP. For more information, please visit www.ims.com.
About Blue Renewable Energy
Blue Renewable Energy is a late stage developer and financing partner specializing in renewable energy projects. The company provides complete turnkey solutions to assist its best-in-class partners and their clients in the pursuit of the benefits renewable energy offers. Blue Renewable Energy offers private ownership, adept funding, energy experts, buying power, industry knowledge of leadership, due diligence, confidentiality, flexibility and a full understanding of “Green Politics.”
About SunWize Technologies
SunWize sells, finances and builds sustainable energy systems for the public, private and residential sectors. For over twenty years, customers have selected SunWize to deliver sustainable energy solutions on time and within budget. Based in San Jose with offices in CA, NY, OR, HI and AZ, SunWize has deployed 100s of MWs of solar throughout the Americas. For more information, visit www.sunwize.com.
About Indianapolis Power & Light Company
Indianapolis Power & Light Company provides retail electric service to more than 470,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Indianapolis, as well as portions of other Central Indiana communities surrounding Marion County. During its long history, IPL has supplied its customers with some of the lowest-cost, most reliable power in the country. For more information about the company, please visit www.IPLpower.com.