From the opening of SolarTAC

It was announced recently that one of the largest solar technology testing sites will soon be powering up. The news of the opening was released after a meeting was held by the developers and sponsors of the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC).

Two new members will also be incorporate into the SolarTAC project: the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) along with the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The agreement to join SolarTAC has already been signed by both parties.

The meeting was held in the city of Aurora, Colorado, where 1,898 acres of land have been set aside for the project. The Mayor of Aurora, Ed Tauer, expects the SolarTAC project to have a very important impact on the economy of the city, creating more jobs and greener energy.

There are high hopes that this research center will become a hub for research, drawing universities, laboratories and research institutes to work in collaboration to improve solar power technology.

The agreement to create SolarTAC was reached in 2008 between public and private sectors: Abengoa Solar, the City of Aurora, Colorado Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Midwest Research Institute (MRI), SunEdison and Xcel Energy. It was decided that members of the project would test their technologies, especially those designed for commercial use. The center was also designed as a place to exchange technology information and to test operational performance.

Since the announcement of the project last year, huge strides have been taken, and testing of various solar technologies, as well as their deployment and demonstration are soon to begin.