GE backs SunPower's five projects

Mo’ money mo’ money. And this time it’s going into solar. A unit of GE Money, GE Energy Financial Services, is poneying up some readies for SunPower. The cash injection will help the solar firm get five new projects under way and, according to SunPower, they are (drum roll please):

— Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., Ontario, California: A 2.3-megawatt rooftop solar power system at the Toyota Motor Sales, USA Ontario Parts Center. The new system will be the largest single-roof solar power installation in the United States.
— HP (NYSE: HPQ), San Diego: A one-megawatt rooftop system serving an eight-building printing technology R&D facility. The project will use the patented SunPower(R) T10 Solar Roof Tile commercial roof system, a non-penetrating solar system that tilts at a 10-degree angle, to increase energy capture.
— Agilent Technologies, Santa Rosa, California: A one-megawatt solar tracking system installed atop a canopy structure in the Agilent campus parking lot, providing both shade in the lot and solar electric power for the facility.
— Lake County, California: Ground-mounted solar systems at three sites, serving a correctional facility in Lakeport and two wastewater treatment plants in Lakeport and Clearlake, totaling 2.4 megawatts. The project will provide 85 percent of the power required by the county’s correctional facility.
— Rancho California Water District, Murrieta, California: A one-megawatt ground-mounted system, covering 10 acres. The project will use the patented SunPower(R) T20 Tracker, which follows the sun throughout the day and delivers up to 30 percent more energy than traditional fixed-tilt ground systems.

How much of the green stuff is going into SunPower courtesy of GE Money isn’t disclosed, but Greenbang can bring you one figure in pounds – 8.5 million pounds, in fact – and that’s the carbon that’s going to be saved by the projects.