Executive Director Named for SolarTAC

AURORA, Colo., March 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Officials at Midwest Research Institute (MRI), the management and operating contractor for the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC), announced today that Dustin T. Smith has been appointed executive director of SolarTAC, a new world-class solar technology acceleration center that was launched last October and is currently under construction in Aurora, Colo.

SolarTAC represents a group of six public and private sector entities that joined forces to advance and accelerate the commercialization of solar technology and related job training through a 74-acre center that will be one of the largest solar test and evaluation facilities in the world. The center will enable utilities and solar industry members to test and demonstrate new solar technologies that are at the early-commercial or near-commercial stage of development. The entities involved in SolarTAC include: Abengoa Solar, SunEdison and Xcel Energy, who are the founding members, and the City of Aurora, The Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory, and MRI.

As executive director, Smith will report into MRI's Research Operations, effective March 16, and provide strategic leadership and overall direction for SolarTAC, while also developing and implementing operational plans for the center and its members. Smith comes to SolarTAC from MWH Global, Inc., located in Broomfield, Colo., where he was director of project and program development and deputy program manager for the MWH Business Solutions Group.

"We are delighted and fortunate to have Dustin join MRI and lead SolarTAC," said Michael F. Helmstetter, MRI executive vice president and director of Research Operations. "Dustin brings over 18 years of experience in leading multi-discipline, multimillion-dollar projects in engineering design, construction, program management, business process development, and operations support. He will be an asset to the team as we complete construction of the site and make SolarTAC operational."

Smith's prior experience includes positions at SurePower Corporation in Denver, Colo.; Carter & Burgess in Denver, Colo., and Oakland, Calif.; Enron Energy Services in San Ramon, Calif.; the Bentley Company in San Francisco; and ABB Impell Corporation in San Ramon, Calif. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering and Technology from Oklahoma State University.

Construction of the SolarTAC site began in late-October 2008 and is progressing on schedule. "The basic grading and elevation work have been completed and all civil construction, including drainage, basic roadways, and installation of underground utilities and service lines, is slated for completion by mid-May 2009," said Roger Starnes, MRI group vice president of Strategic and Emerging Program Development. Two common area buildings, including Xcel Energy's Colorado University Solar Decathlon exhibit, which will serve as a visitor center, and a water pump building, will be on site by July 2009. Construction of the founding member buildings and facilities are scheduled to begin over the spring and summer.

Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer emphasized the project's advantage, "SolarTAC's services are unmatched in the country. We're all about helping solar business succeed."

MRI, an independent scientific research institute, headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is managing the engineering design and construction effort for the site. Burns & McDonnell, an international engineering and architecture firm, also based in Kansas City, is developing the site plans and designs, while ICM-Pueblo, a construction management firm in Pueblo, Colo., is the general contractor.

SolarTAC representatives will be at the Renewable Energy World Conference and Expo North America in Las Vegas, Nev., March 10-12. Business representatives interested in accelerating the commercialization of solar technology may stop by the SolarTAC booth (#1106) to learn more about SolarTAC and options for gaining access to the site for testing and performance validation of integrated and grid-connected photovoltaic and concentrating solar energy systems. Additional information about SolarTAC is also available at www.solartac.org.