6. MRIGlobal, Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC)

Firm: MRIGlobal – SolarTAC
Project: Solar Technology Acceleration Center
Project Owner: MRIGlobal

Solar Technology Acceleration Center, or “SolarTAC” is a member-based, outdoor solar research, test, and demonstration facility.  The 74 acre site is located on property provided by Aurora, Colo., near Denver.  Members of SolarTAC include solar technology companies, solar project developers, electric utilities, and research institutions representing both public and private sectors.  The site hosts a variety of PV, CPV, and CSP systems, as well as thermal and electric energy storage, and a variety of other technologies supporting solar generation.

The total solar capacity presently installed at SolarTAC is approximately 2 megawatts (MW).  The purpose of SolarTAC is not commercial power generation but rather to advance solar technology development and to accelerate the use of solar power as a national and global energy resource.  Members deploy and replace systems and system components according to their individual product development and testing programs.

SolarTAC is managed and operated on behalf of its members by MRIGlobal, a research institute headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. MRIGlobal is part of the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, the organization that manages and operates the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy.  The site infrastructure shared in common by the members was completed in the Spring 2011, and SolarTAC formally began operations as a test center in June 2011.