Solar Power World

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High-performance solar panels from SolarWorld, the largest U.S. solar manufacturer, will grace Kaiser Permanente’s Westside Medical Center, now under construction three miles from the SolarWorld factory, highlighting the low-emission transportation benefit of in-market solar production.

In fact, Kaiser’s use of SolarWorld’s panels is among sustainable elements that Kaiser hopes will secure Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for the hospital when it is completed in 2013. To underscore the sustainable virtues of local sourcing, leaders and employees of both companies and the city of Hillsboro today will ride bicycles as they accompany some panels from the factory to the rising medical facility.

Gordon Brinser, president of SolarWorld Industries Americas Inc., Andrew McCulloch, president of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan of the Northwest, and Hillsboro Mayor Jerry Willey lead the ride from SolarWorld’s U.S. manufacturing hub.  More than 30 other representatives from both companies, plus employees from the hospital’s general contractor, Andersen Construction, also will participate. The cyclists will follow two large-load bike trailers and a SolarWorld electric-powered pick-up truck, both carrying solar panels.

When the Westside Medical Center opens in 2013, it will be the first hospital completed in the Portland area in nearly 40 years. The facility will host a 102-kilowatt solar system comprised of 468 solar panels installed on its parking garage. In addition to the solar array, the hospital will boast an extensive list of sustainability features, including environmentally friendly carpet and paint, non-toxic construction materials, and a water-conservation system that will save 2 million gallons of water each year.