By Robert P. Baker
According to a survey published in the January 23 issue of Solar Power World, a leading solar industry trade magazine, Advanced Solar Products (ASP) of Flemington, NJ (www.advancedsolarproducts.com) was ranked 17th among the Top 100 solar contractors in the United States.
“We are thrilled to be included among the Top 20 solar contractors in this elite ranking,” said Lyle Rawlings, a solar pioneer and President of ASP since its founding in 1991. “We attribute our rapid growth in large part to our innovative Solstice® Mounting System, which we developed and patented, as well as the outstanding service we provide to our customers.”
Rankings in the survey were determined by the number of Megawatts (MW) of electrical power installed by each solar contractor, which ranged from 400MW by First Solar of Tempe, AZ to 0.25MW by Solar Design Tech of Ogden, UT. Advanced Solar Products, with 45MW of installed capacity, was ranked number 17.
Solstice Mounting System
“The Solstice Mounting System is a ballasted system that uses weight to hold down the racking and modules instead of attaching them directly to the site surface,” Rawlings explains. “The system is modular, with all units having rigid connections to all adjacent units rather than directly to the roof or ground. This makes installation faster, easier and less expensive by eliminating roof and ground penetration. The structural supports also function as wind deflectors and, because the panels are interconnected, one unit or row cannot peel off in the wind. As a result, the system can withstand winds up to 145 miles per hour.”
The Solstice Mounting System demonstrated its superior wind resistance when the system installed on the roof of The Cape May Convention Center, directly in the path of Super Storm Sandy as it made landfall, prevented even a single solar panel from being dislodged.
Record Setting Installation
Advanced Solar Products recently completed installation of a massive 14.1MW ground mounted solar array spanning a 50-acre parcel of land on the East Windsor, NJ site of The McGraw-Hill Companies. The system is the Western Hemisphere’s largest privately owned, net-metered solar project and will provide electrical power to McGraw-Hill’s 180,000-square-foot data center.
The company estimates that the solar array will produce 18 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity annually, eliminating approximately 12,687 metric tons of carbon-equivalent emissions produced by 2,488 gasoline-powered automobiles. McGraw-Hill also plans to plant approximately 25 acres of trees surrounding the installation.
One of the primary reasons why McGraw-Hill chose ASP was because its Solstice Mounting System, which requires no ground penetrations, is more environmentally friendly than conventional mounting systems.
A Leader in Solar Energy
For over 20 years, Lyle Rawlings and Advanced Solar Products have led the way in solar energy design and construction using sustainable technologies. A Chemical Engineer by training, Mr. Rawlings has not only designed and managed some of the most challenging and innovative solar projects in the country, but has also been a tireless advocate for clean, renewable energy.
In fact, in 2007, New York Times Magazine called Mr. Rawlings, who founded ASP, “the founding father of renewable energy legislation in New Jersey.” Today, he remains one of the nation’s leading professionals in the field of solar energy.
ASP has built over 45 megawatts of solar projects throughout New Jersey and several other states in the Northeast, enough energy to meet the needs of more than 6,000 New Jersey homes. For more information, contact Katie Hallock, Director of Operations, Advanced Solar Products, Inc. at (908) 751-5818 or [email protected].