When SunPower announced the SunPower Oasis Power Plant in May 2010, we made a commitment to develop the industry’s most cost-optimized and scalable solar power plant solution. Now, as we’ve begun our first deployment of a U.S. Oasis power plant in Arizona and have recently contracted with Southern California Edison to deliver 711 MW of power by 2016 (enough to power nearly half a million California homes), we want to share additional details about Oasis and how it simplifies PV power plant development.

In the following two-part video blog series, Matt Campbell, Director of Utility Products and Market Development at SunPower, shares a general overview behind the concept of the Oasis Power Plant, detailing the benefits and advantages for utilities, developers and investors, and discussing how SunPower technology can streamline the deployment process for a solar power plant from the ground to the grid.

In this first segment, Campbell outlines the reasoning behind Oasis plants, claiming:

“The core focus of Oasis is scalability. So when we conceived of this program, and we looked at the future of photovoltaic power plants, what we saw is that the current approach to building PV power plants wasn’t scalable in the size and scale of the market.”

Campbell goes on to say, "Every power plant is different. And we really wanted to get to the next level of cost reduction, long-term operation and maintenance, and overall speed and construction. We believe that you need a modular approach to the problem. And that’s what Oasis provides.”

Next week, Campbell will explain the advantages of the Oasis Power Plant solution for utilities, solar power plant developers and investors. If you have questions or would like more information, please join the discussion in our community on Facebook (www.facebook.com/sunpower) and follow us on Twitter (@SunPower) for the latest solar PV technology updates.

For all of you who’ve spent time in the last few weeks digging out driveways and walking through winter wonderlands, you probably have a newfound respect for the power of Mother Nature. At SunPower, we have the same respect, as we design and test our panels to maintain their high-efficiency production during the most extreme weather. In fact, a recent hailstorm at a customer installation in Phoenix, AZ demonstrated the importance of all-weather solar panel durability.

Back in October 2010, an afternoon hailstorm struck the Cowley Industrial Complex on the south side of Phoenix. The golf ball-sized hail was so large and ferocious that after the storm our local dealer, Don Herman of Empire Power Systems, said "It looked like someone had machine-gunned the complex with large bullets." However, the building’s southern end, which houses a 6.5 acre panel SunPower solar installation, was virtually spotless. More importantly, the solar panel’s continued to run at capacity producing 2.5 MW of electricity (enough to power 340 homes). In fact, out of the 8,000 panels that made up the installation, only three panels were damaged.

The tiles used in the Cowley installations were SunPower T5 tiles. Since the T5 panel is a non-penetrating model, it doesn’t require drilling holes in a building’s roof to hold the installation in place. This saved Cowley from melt water leaking through the ceiling of its distribution center and slowing operations. Facing the most extreme weather conditions, Cowley was able to maintain business as usual (and keep generating solar power)!

Next time you have to head out the door with shovel in hand, remember that your reliable SunPower panels should be in perfect operating condition. You’ll likely only need to brush the snow off of them to provide clear access to sunlight. Are your panels steadily pumping out power while surrounded by snow? If so, we’d love to see pictures of your installation braving the winter elements on our SunPower Facebook Wall.

Here’s the challenge: How can a trek of modern-day explorers use clean energy to power a snowmobile trek across Antarctica? For the Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) of South Korea, who is spearheading this historic journey, the solution is using SunPower’s leading high efficiency panels:

SBS is funding the cross-continental adventure and plans to air a special documentary about the journey in May 2011 to coincide with the network’s 21st anniversary. The team of explorers is aiming to reach the South Pole, but they’re also looking to raise the issue of environmental awareness. To that end, SBS partnered with SunPower for portable solar charging stations that will power the group’s snowmobiles and additional camp equipment.

Below is a map detailing the group itinerary. The explorers disembarked from Patriot Hills station and are trekking towards the South Pole. On Day 23, they’re halfway to their destination, having completed 562 km of the 1,076 km journey. The team has faced a harrowing blizzard and other extreme weather.

You can get updates on the remainder of the SBS journey over the following weeks by liking SunPower on Facebook and following SunPower on Twitter. If you’re interested in more information please visit the Korean-language Facebook and Twitter pages maintained by the trek sponsors.

The Antarctica journey represents a great way to spread the word about solar. What other solar-powered adventures you’d like to see?

As we kick off 2011, we wanted to reflect on the most rewarding part of the holiday season - joining together as a local community to give back. On December 11, 2010, 20 SunPower employees and their family members, including CEO Tom Werner, joined 700 volunteers and Turning Wheels for Kids to build bikes for kids and families who couldn’t otherwise afford a bike. Turning Wheels for Kids is a partner of the SunPower Foundation. At the Bike Build 2010 event, the entire group of volunteers built 2,400 bikes in 4.5 hours. That was quite a feat but don’t forget that means we also had to pump 4,800 tires in five hours! Thanks to an awesome group effort, Turning Wheels for Kids distributed these bikes to families throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties in time for the holidays.

Once all the bikes were built, the crowd of volunteers watched on as Silicon Valley Executives, Turning Wheels for Kids staff members and BMX X Games gold medalists raced tricycles to raise funds for the organization. After addressing the volunteers, Tom even pedaled away against San Jose Sharkie and Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, in the tricycle race! Check out the video below for a 360° recap.

Turning Wheels for Kids was founded in 2003 and is a 100% volunteer-based organization. They raise funds all year through a variety of community events, and bring volunteers together to build and distribute bikes. Bike Build 2010 was also significant for producing the organization’s 10,000th bike since its founding. Check out the Turning Wheels for Kids site to learn how to support this great program by donating your time or your money.