AstroPower Provides Solar Power Systems for Anaheim and Los Angeles Convention Centers

The Anaheim and Los Angeles Convention Centers will be installed with solar panels supplied by AstroPower Inc. (Newark, DE) this fall to produce power on-site during peak demand periods when the electricity supply is most scarce and, consequently, most expensive. The solar power panels were purchased separately by the cities of Los Angeles and Anaheim via their own municipal utilities, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Anaheim Public Utilities. "Rising power bills and threats of blackouts in California have been front-page news all summer," said AstroPower President Allen M. Barnett. "Clearly, more power generation is needed, and solar power is an ideal solution."The LA Convention Center project, a 120kW system, has over 2,000 solar panels and is designed to blend in with the convention center architecture. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power designed the support structure and installed the power system as part of a 1.8MW contract with AstroPower valued at $6.0 million. When the next phase is completed this fall 2000, the Los Angeles Convention Center will be the largest solar-powered facility in North America. The Anaheim Convention Center project will use over 900 AstroPower panels, and will be rated at 100kW. These larger panels are being integrated into PowerGuard roofing tiles that are manufactured by PowerLight Corp. (Berkeley, CA). These roofing tiles generate on-site electricity, and add roof insulation. They also lower building cooling and heating needs and extend the roof's life.