The facility serves as the sole powering source for Alpha’s solar vehicle charging station and outdoor electronic display board. In addition to a newly installed fuel cell system, the HPS Test Facility consists of a 4000 Watt solar array, the first permitted 7.5kW wind turbine in Whatcom County, 5kW generator and 533Ah 48V battery bank.
“The Bellingham Solar Tour presented a great opportunity to demonstrate Alpha’s HPS Test Facility, a clean and reliable hybrid power system,” said Drew Zogby, Alpha President and COO. “Solar power is a highly reliable power source,” added Zogby, “And by incorporating multiple types of energy resources, like wind and battery backup, customers can protect themselves from unreliable power sources and rising energy costs.”
The American Solar Energy Society hosted the one-day event that brought together installers, manufacturers and system owners alike to explore the potential of solar energy in Whatcom County. Attendees were able to visit Itek Energy’s solar panel manufacturing plant and discuss potential renewable sites before embarking on an afternoon tour of local solar installations.
“Out of all the stops on this year’s tour, attendees seemed especially interested in Alpha’s HPS Test Facility,” said Connor Birkeland, Project Coordinator at Itek Energy. “Most of the 2012 tour destinations were strictly solar installations, whereas Alpha’s facility demonstrated a true ‘hybrid’ approach, and the accompanying case study was a great resource for everyone involved.”
Alpha Energy, a member of The Alpha Group and a division of Alpha Technologies Services, is a full-service engineering and project development company for the distributed generation power industry. The company develops turnkey photovoltaic systems for commercial, residential, institutional and remote (off-grid) applications.
Further information
