The Oak Ridge scientific and technological laboratory is under the authority of the United States Department of Energy. The German Energy Agency (dena) supports this research and development project involving DEGERtrackers as part of the dena Solar Roofs Program. DEGER is the worlds market leader for solar tracking systems.
In cooperation with its partner company vis solis, DEGER has supplied seven 6000NT type DEGERtraker tracking systems with MLD* technology to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The systems were already installed in December and will soon be connected to the grid. The plant itself was initiated and installed by vis solis, which will operate it as well.
According to Adam Jan Glapiak, Area Sales Manager at DEGERenergie for the North American market: MLD technology made in Germany attracts attention here and it enjoys an excellent reputation among American experts. It is no coincidence that Oak Ridge already represents the third DEGER project in Tennessee within the space of just one year. It too has been realized within the scope of the TVA Renewable Energy Program.
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned corporation that supplies nine million people with electricity in seven states in the Southeast of the USA. TVA operates without tax funding and, among other things, provides support to public facilities as well as state and local governments in their economic development.
Research and advanced training project
Decades ago uranium was enriched in Oak Ridge. The new DEGER systems are located above the pits formerly used for this purpose. As of April 2013 green energy will be produced on these historic and contaminated premises with the help of DEGER, notes Adam Jan Glapiak.
Among other things, the seven DEGERtrackers will be used for advanced education for students who receive additional training at the local community college in order to become specialists in matters related to solar energy. An initial workshop that will familiarize them with the principles behind MLD will take place already in April of this year.
Furthermore, the German systems will be integrated into research work involving the technology of tracking systems, solar modules and inverters. In addition, scientists at Oak Ridge plan to conduct comparative measurements between the MLD tracking systems from DEGER and fixed installations. These will provide knowledge about the efficiency of both types of systems.
From nuclear to solar in Oak Ridge our modest contribution to the announced change in energy policy in the U.S., explains Carlos Mayer, acting partner at vis solis. After President Obama expressly professed his commitment to the development of renewable energies in his inaugural speech for his second term of office, and staked Americas future claim to leadership in this field, we are now taking advantage of this incentive in order to grow in the American market, Carlos Mayer goes on to say.
Top address for energy and environmental matters
The United States established the research and development facility in Oak Ridge in 1943 with the aim of enriching uranium for the Manhattan Project. Under this code name at the time the U.S. advanced the building of the atomic bomb. Over the years the laboratory developed into the top address for national energy and environmental matters. Today it is an established institution for the development of new energy sources, technologies and materials. Moreover, scientists at Oak Ridge also conduct, among other things, research in the area of environmental sciences.
The stated aim of their work is to strengthen the lead of the United States in core scientific fields, to guarantee the availability of sufficiently clean energy, to protect and/or restore the environment and to contribute to national security.
