Our Solar Power Projects in the News

Three Western Region Projects Awarded the 2012 Photovoltaic Projects of Distinction Awards

March 2012
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(PV AMERICA)--The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) announced the three winners of the 2012 Photovoltaic Projects of Distinction Awards today at PV America West in San Jose, Calif.

Blue Oak Energy Designs the Largest Photovoltaic Project Achieved by the United States Coast Guard

November 2011
DAVIS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blue Oak Energy and Point 2 Structural Engineers designed a 2.8 megawatt solar electric project for the U.S. Coast Guard in Puerto Rico as part of a large-scale energy savings performance program implemented by Schneider Electric. The U.S. Coast Guard reduced greenhouse gases (GHG) by replacing brown power with PV-generated green power.

Baker Electric Solar and Blue Oak Energy Bring Solar Energy to Marine Corp Base in Twentynine Palms

November 2011
Baker Electric Solar, a full-service solar integrator, partnered with Blue Oak Energy, a renewable energy engineering design firm, to bring solar energy to the new Bachelor Enlisted Quarters complex at the U. S. Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California.

Next Generation Central Inverters: Manufacturers, Specifications & Design Considerations

November 2009, November 2011
Large PV projects and their market share are expanding. At the end of 2007, 56% of the California Solar Initiative reservations were for 500 kW or larger installations. A report published by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council in August 2008 forecasted that this trend would continue. The new generation of inverters spurred by this growth present system integrators with new design and installation challenges...

Blue Oak Energy Relocates Offices

September 2011
DAVIS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blue Oak Energy, a solar energy engineering and construction firm, has announced today they have relocated their headquarters in Davis, California to a larger and more modern space...

Blue Oak Energy Sees Future on Roofs of Businesses, Utilities

May 2011
In 2003, mechanical engineer Tobin Booth quit his job designing power inverters in Seattle to seek his fortune as an entrepreneur in California's solar market, the largest in the nation. During Blue Oak Energy's first three years, business sputtered. Apart from BP Solar (BP), relatively few companies hired Blue Oak to engineer and install the costly photovoltaic systems Booth pitched as long- term money-savers.

Davis solar-energy firm on fast growth track

April 2011
Blue Oak Energy of Davis is rapidly expanding, driven in part by state laws that require utilities to obtain more of their electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar.

Davis solar firm expands into Canada to capitalize on renewable energy push

October 2010
Blue Oak Energy of Davis is opening an office Monday in Toronto for its newly established subsidiary, tapping a surge in demand for photovoltaic projects in the Canadian province of Ontario.

House Foods Goes Solar

October 2010

House Foods America Takes Tofu Solar

September 2010
In celebration of House Foods America's recently installed photovoltaic solar energy system, I donned a hard hat for a tour of their Garden Grove, Calif., facility to learn about the role solar panels play in the production of a food much-loved by vegetarians: tofu!

Blue Oak branches out with design-build contracts

May 2010
A little-known Davis solar firm is hoping some big-name clients — and the biggest rooftop project in the nation — will translate to big-time growth.

Blue Oak Energy has designed projects for companies such as Google Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Whole Foods Market Inc. and REI.

Tofu Manufacturer House Foods America Goes Solar

April 2010
House Foods America Corporation, one of the largest fresh tofu and frozen food manufacturers in the United States, partners with Blue Oak Energy to install a new 215kW photovoltaic solar array on their state‐of‐art manufacturing facility in Garden Grove, California.

California's Best Climate-Smart Businesses Recognized

December 2009
Sacramento—The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Resources Board announced the winners of the state’s first sustainable management award that recognizes small businesses, with less than 100 employees, that have demonstrated leadership and made notable, voluntary achievements towards reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.

Solar Power Techies Love PVSelect.com

May 2009
Blue Oak and SolarPro Magazine have teamed up to launch a web application called PV Select, a solar panel string calculator, array and inverter sizing calculator. This free web application requires no login and allows you to quickly compare multiple solar electric system configurations.

What Kind of Stimulus Can Renewables Expect?

January 14, 2009
The economic impact of the financial crisis appears to have hurt the renewable energy industries more than previously thought. After further rounds of job losses and project delays, many businesses are looking to the upcoming economic stimulus package for a boost.

Contributor Mark Braly speaks with Tobin Booth of Blue Oak Energy about feed-in tariffs in the U.S., increased PV manufacturing capacity, and the emergence of new solar technologies.

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REI and Blue Oak Energy Celebrate Completion of Fifth Store-top Solar Array

November 10, 2008
Blue Oak Energy and REI partner together to mark the completion of five California solar arrays between the national retail co-op and solar engineering firm Blue Oak Energy (BOE). In California, REI locations in Arcadia, Santa Rosa, San Carlos and San Diego are already generating 20 to 30 percent of their energy with photovoltaic (PV) installations designed and installed by BOE, using Sharp solar modules. REI's PV systems in Sacramento and Folsom will be producing energy by the end of the year.

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Satcon Announces Introduction Of 1 Megawatt Solar Inverter

September 2, 2008
“It is exciting to see the industry move towards larger scale projects,” said Tobin Booth, President of Blue Oak Energy. “The demand for utility grade installations is increasing at a rapid pace and systems of this size and scale require higher levels of efficiency and overall performance. With the addition of the 1 MW PowerGate™ Plus unit, Satcon continues to deliver the next generation of solutions for these large projects.”

REI Extends Commitment to Renewable Energy with Solar Power Investment

May 15, 2008
Solar Electric Installations Planned for Retail Locations in California, Oregon and Texas

Davis Company Helps Power Google

June 21, 2007
Blue Oak Energy of Davis designed the mammoth solar-power system for Google's headquarters in Mountain View.

Blue Oak Energy Designs Solar Electric System for Google

June 18, 2007
Showing the power of teamwork, solar electric system design and engineering firm Blue Oak Energy partnered with Google’s solar integrator, EI Solutions to create a customized solar electric system at the Googleplex, the Company’s headquarters in Mountain View, California.

Blue Oak Energy PV Free System Design Tool

May 10, 2007
The Blue Oak Energy’s "PV Selection Guide" allows a system designer to successfully match modules and inverters in multiple configurations. This tool is unique and universal, allowing the user to view the results from pairing any inverter and solar module on the market in the United States.