Dominion Virginia Power will install more than 2,000 solar panels on the rooftop of Canon Virginia Inc.'s (CVI) Industrial Resource Technologies (IRT) facility in Gloucester, making it the largest roof solar system in the Commonwealth.

The project is part of Dominion's Solar Partnership Program, in which Dominion leases rooftop or ground space at commercial, industrial or public facilities for installation of solar panels. When operational, the panels at the Gloucester facility will generate more than 500 kilowatts of electricity, enough to power about 125 homes.

"The Solar Partnership Program is designed to expand Dominion's understanding of community-based solar energy by studying its impact and assessing its benefits," said Ken Barker, vice president of Customer Solutions and Energy Conservation.

"The Canon project is our largest installation to date and will enable us to evaluate the benefits of distributed generation on our system."

Distributed generation is the production of electricity at or near the point of its consumption. All the electricity generated in the $2 million Gloucester project will flow to the electric grid for use by Dominion Virginia Power customers.

"Partnering with Dominion Virginia Power fortifies our strong environmental commitment," said Toru Nishizawa, president and CEO of Canon Virginia and IRT.

"IRT's mission is not only to grow Canon's product recycling efforts, but to also foster a recycling-orientated society, reduce our environmental impact through greater management efficiency, and embrace green technologies."

"We are always looking for ways to help businesses work more effectively and benefit Gloucester citizens," said David N. Meeker, chairman of the Gloucester Economic Development Authority (EDA), which owns the building. "This is a positive step for Gloucester, Canon and Dominion Virginia Power.

The EDA endeavors to assist all businesses in Gloucester County to grow and adopt new processes and technologies that will help them succeed."

The EDA and Gloucester's Economic Development director were partners throughout the development of this project, working closely with Dominion Virginia Power, Canon Virginia and Branch Banking and Trust. For more information on development and business commitment in Gloucester County, visit www.gloucesterva.info/eda.

PowerSecure, a North Carolina-based company with offices in Virginia, has been selected as the engineering, procurement and construction company. Construction is scheduled to start in December; the panels are expected to be fully installed and operational in early 2014.

In the Solar Partnership Program, Dominion will construct and operate up to 30 megawatts of company-owned solar facilities on leased rooftops or on the grounds of commercial businesses and public properties throughout the company's Virginia service area. When fully implemented, the program will be able to generate enough power for 7,500 homes.