Solar powered footwear

, a subsidiary of Distributed Energy Systems, is to design, engineer and construct a 400 kW solar power system at

429,000 square-foot

distribution centre in

.

The 401.8 kW photovoltaic (PV) system will be installed on a new "TruckPort" steel mounting structure next to Timberland's warehouse, leveraging an unused area of the facility's truck yard by providing storage space for the facility as well as shaded parking for employees.

A total of 1,960 PV modules will be mounted on the structure in strings of 14 each. The high-efficiency modules and inverters are expected to produce almost 60% of the facility's electrical load.

Also included in the design of the project will be Northern Power's "SmartView" remote monitoring software technology, allowing Timberland to manage and report on the site's power production in real time from any location via the Internet.

By reliably delivering up to 60% of the facility's energy needs, the new power system is also expected to create a hedge against potential critical peak pricing surcharges of as much as $1 per kilowatt hour, which may be put into effect in California over the next several summers.

According to data collected in a study of emissions in California by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the new system will avoid releasing almost 935,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per year.

Northern Power is currently designing and building over 20 MWs of power systems that use a range of generation technologies, from combustion turbines and reciprocating engines to Stirling engine, solar and wind technologies.