Wilmington, DE (PRWEB) December 06, 2013

DuPont today hosted a celebration of the startup of a 548 kilowatt, five-acre solar installation on a former Superfund landfill site in Newport, Del. The solar installation, located at 205 South James Street, Newport, Del., will produce enough electricity to power 60 homes in the Newport community. It will generate about 729,000 kilowatt hours of power per year.

After successfully completing remediation at the Newport site, and with the support of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Delaware Division of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC), DuPont collaborated with Tangent Energy Solutions to put the property into productive use generating solar electricity. The solar project, developed by Tangent and owned by Greenwood Energy, a subsidiary of Libra Group, will provide a viable renewable energy option for the Newport community. The solar panels were supplied by DuPont Apollo, a wholly-owned subsidiary of DuPont.

The celebration event included a program that was conducted at the nearby DuPont Photovoltaics Applications Lab in Wilmington, Del. The Honorable Jack Markell, governor State of Delaware, headlined a group of speakers who provided comments during the program. Other speakers included: Shawn Garvin, regional administrator EPA Mid-Atlantic Region 3; and Linda Fisher, vice president DuPont Safety, Health & Environment & Chief Sustainability Officer.

The DuPont Solar Power Project complements Delawares commitment toward using clean, renewable energy sources, Markell said. Generating solar energy benefits the residents of Newport, and positively impacts our state – increasing our competitiveness, reducing air pollution, improving public health and creating jobs.

Under the RE-Powering America Initiative, EPA encourages renewable energy development on current and formerly contaminated land when it is aligned with the communitys vision for the site, Garvin said. When we work together to turn an environmental problem into an opportunity, we create the best of what is possible here solar energy will serve the families of Newport and inspire others to re-power America with alternative energy solutions.

Were very excited about this project because it is the first time weve utilized solar on a former landfill. The project will reduce DuPonts greenhouse gas emissions by 350 tons a year and reuse a portion of a federal Superfund site that had been considered to be unusable land, said Fisher. This is a great example of what were trying to do at DuPont around the world: working collaboratively to help meet the growing demand for energy with renewable fuels.

Other guests who participated in the program included Collin OMara, secretary Delaware Division of Natural Resources & Environmental Control; Rep. Debra Heffernan, Rep. John Kowalko Jr., Michael Spencer, mayor Town of Newport, and various leaders with the DuPont Corporate Remediation Group, DuPont Facilities Services & Real Estate and DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions Business.

This represents the eleventh solar installation on DuPont land to date, and the fourth in Delaware. Two additional installations are expected to be completed by year-end, bringing the total energy output to 4,800,000 kilowatt hours per year enough to power 400 U.S. households. In addition to its DuPont Apollo subsidiary, which specializes in silicon-based thin film solar technologies, DuPont is the largest supplier of specialty materials to the solar industry. Over half the worlds 400 million solar panels have DuPont materials in them.

DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit http://www.dupont.com.

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12/6/13

Newport Solar Project Ribbon Cutting

(left to right) Mike Betzen, DuPont Global Director, Facilities Services & Real Estate; Joseph Sacks, VP Corporate Development, Greenwood Energy; Linda Fisher, DuPont VP Safety, Health & Environmental & Chief Sustainability Officer; Jack Markell, Governor, State of Delaware; Shawn Garvin, Regional AdministratorEPA Mid-Atlantic Region 3; and Sheryl Telford, DuPont Director Corporate Remediation Group.