Thursday, October 9, 2008

GOV. RITTER WELCOMES SOLARTAC TO AURORA


 
Gov. Bill Ritter today hailed the creation of the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) in Colorado. Today, SolarTAC announced it will build the largest public-private partnership solar-energy development in Aurora. The SolarTAC site will aggressively promote the commercialization of solar energy technologies.
 
"SolarTAC will be a valuable part of Colorado's New Energy Economy, which has become a national and international leader in the development of clean, modern energy technologies," Gov. Ritter said.
 
The partners involved with SolarTAC include: Abengoa Solar, the City of Aurora, the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory, Midwest Research Institute (MRI), SunEdison and Xcel Energy.
 
"Colorado's strength is in its human resources and our public and private institutions," Gov. Ritter said. "This research center is creating a crucial step from moving solar technologies from R&D to commercial deployment." 
 
Last year, a report on Colorado's renewable energy resources revealed that if Colorado developed just 2 percent of the land area in San Luis Valley and the area southeast of Pueblo with solar technologies, it has the potential to produce 26 gigawatts of capacity.  Colorado's electric demand peaks at just over 11 gigawatts in the summertime. 
 
"SolarTAC is an important step for creating new solar technologies, new jobs, and providing clean power to help solve our country's energy security," Gov. Ritter said. "We are extremely glad to have them locate this site in Colorado."