The Atlantic City Convention Center is getting what it says is the country’s largest single-rooftop solar energy system. Comprised of 13,321 photovoltaic panels covering 290,000 square feet, or two thirds of the rooftop, the system will be able to generate 2.36 megawatts. Apparently it is important to their PR to be the biggest, but they’re only the biggest by the tiniest of margins. Toyota Motor Sales in Ontario, CA is constructing a 2.3 MW single-roof system…so I guess the .06 matters…

Pepco Energy Services is installing the panels, and is paying to be able to do so. They will then sell the energy created to the center via a 20-year power purchase agreement. Smart planning by Pepco since such large-scale photovoltaic investments are a tough sell and publicity like this is worth the cost of installation.

This system will provide about 25% of the power needed to run the center, saving about $4.4 million over the course of the agreement. Construction is set to start just before the federal investment tax credit for solar expire – nice to see them hurrying to eek in under the wire.

With big companies going green via purchasing power from alternative sources, power purchase agreements are a great way to get solar power up and running on large scales, without having to deal with the turn-off factor of installation investments. Should the ITC fail to be renewed, power purchase agreements could give all those on-hold projects a legitimate way-ahead.

Via Earth2Tech, CNN; Photo via Anzman Consulting

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