SOLARTAC IS A PARTNERSHIP of solar equipment manufacturers, research organizations and electric utilities that want to make use of a real-world outdoor site to develop, test, validate or showcase solar products. The SolarTAC mission is to facilitate the commercialization of solar technologies, including photovoltaic and solar thermal systems. It does this by providing the members with readily accessible land and all the necessary infrastructure and resources needed to rapidly and economically install their technologies. SolarTAC is located on 74 acres of land in Aurora, Colo., within minutes of the Denver airport, offering a flat, graded topography and 300 days of sunshine a year.
The concept for a solar technology facility germinated in 2007 with Xcel Energy, a public utility based in Minneapolis. Xcel has voiced a commitment to renewable energy, sponsoring a variety of solar, wind and energy efficiency programs in its service territory. SolarTAC became a reality when the right core group of stakeholders came together, with Xcel providing the initial funding and grid interconnection, the City of Aurora providing the land, and MRIGlobal, formerly Midwest Research Institute, providing the legal structure of the partnership and acting as the management and operating contractor. Abengoa Solar and Sun Edison joined as founding members and agreed to develop the first 10 acres with their solar technologies.
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