Apr 1 2010
Inovateus Solar is pleased to announce its plans for the installation of a 150kW solar power array project at the Torresen Marine facility in Muskegon, Michigan, representing the largest solar power project to date in the State of Michigan. Inovateus Solar is partnering with project manager Chart House Energy and Torresen Marine, to provide the marina and the community of Muskegon with a new power source atop Torresen's existing 28,000 square foot sailboat storage facility.
Inovateus Solar, Chart House Energy and Torresen Marine are partnering on this $740,000 solar power development. The new system will offset the power of the Torresen Marine facility by 30 percent and produce the equivalent energy it takes to power 20 homes in the Muskegon area.
Inovateus specified 750 Scheuten Solar USA panels for the project that will become the first application of this Scheuten Solar technology in the United States. "We chose Scheuten Solar technology for this installation because their high-quality modules are a great application for solar power in the harsh environment of snow, ice and high winds near Lake Michigan," explained T.J. Kanczuzewski, Executive Vice President of Inovateus Solar.
Torresen Marine, a family owned fixture on the Muskegon, Michigan waterfront since 1965, was first approached by Robert Rafson, president of Chart House Energy, a renewable independent power producer (IPP), because of Torresen's environmental reputation of "clean and green" business practices.
"Torresen was one of the first marinas in Michigan to achieve a certified clean business standard," said Rafson. "The way in which they operate their business is very eco-friendly making them a perfect candidate for solar power," said Rafson.
"We were approached by Chart House Energy for this project with the concept of what was available between federal stimulus funds, a feed-in tariff program from Consumer's Energy and the potential to do the right thing for the environment with renewable energy," said Brian Torresen, co-owner of Torresen Marine. "Our sailboat customers are very environmentally friendly. Our waterfront location was also a perfect fit for the technology Inovateus Solar specified for us with the high winds keeping the snow off the panels," he added.
Torresen Marine, a marina known for its new and brokerage sailboat sales, specialty sailboat rigging, service and storage throughout the Great Lakes region, manages 150 slips and storage for 600 sailboats. The company employs 35 from its 17-acre facility on the Muskegon waterfront.
Mayor of Muskegon, Steve Warmington, is excited about the project, one of many of the burgeoning sustainable, eco-friendly projects in his region. "We're thrilled that Torresen Marine and Chart House Energy are taking a leadership role in renewable energy in the state of Michigan to produce this solar energy project right here in Muskegon," said Warmington.
T.J. Kanczuzewski of Inovateus Solar stated that this project is a perfect example of how his company's ability to match technology to the region demonstrates that solar power is a viable energy alternative here in the Midwest.
"Since we offer so many solar solutions to our clients, we can meet the power requirements of the most extreme environments. The front-side load of the Scheuten panels have the equivalent of 110 pounds per square foot and uses 4-millimeter glass which is 25 percent thicker than the industry standard of 3.2 millimeters. Over one Gigawatt of Scheuten Solar panels have been installed in Europe and a large percentage of these projects are in Germany, a country that actually receives less sunlight than Michigan. We are very excited to be working with Chart House Energy, Torresen Marine and Scheuten Solar USA on this ground breaking project in Muskegon, Michigan."
Source: http://www.inovateussolar.com/