Aerojet and SMUD Announce Completion of 6 Megawatt Solar Field

In an effort to reduce the Sacramento region’s reliance on fossi fuel energy, Aerojet and SMUD have completed the installation of a 6 megawatt solar field at their headquarters in Rancho Cordova.

The 40-acre installation marks a 30 percent increase in SMUD’s renewable energy portfolio, making it the first large energy company in California to put itself on track to have 20 percent of its energy demand supplied by renewable sources by the end of 2010. The solar field will be used to supply Aerojet with 30 percent of its energy needs for its groundwater treatment programs.

“SMUD has taken a long view,” said SMUD CEO John DiStasio. ”We have made early investments in renewable resources that, combined with our hydroelectric resources, represent a substantial down payment on a low-carbon future.” Aerojet said it expects the solar array to offset approximately 6,000 tons of carbon dioxide in its first year of use alone, and the array has an expected life span of 25 years.

The field will also offset the use of nearly 10 gigawatt-hours of energy per year that would have been supplied by fossil fuels. “This initiative is a major step in Aerojet’s efforts to help the environment, reduce its carbon footprint, and return approximately 40 acres of a Superfund site to beneficial use — in essence, to turn it into an environmental asset,” said Aerojet’s Vice President of Sustainability, Ron Samborsky.

A 3.6 megawatt field had already been installed in the site and construction began last June to expand it to its current 6 megawatt output. With the help of SMUD and Solar Power, Inc., the construction of the field created 200 jobs and indirectly created an additional 100 jobs to support construction activities, the company said.