Perdue's 1.6MW Solar Installation Comes Online

Perdue, the food and agriculture business, has announced that the first phase of a 1.6 MW solar installation is now online.

The Bridgeville, Del., facility consists of 6,720 solar panels. The installation, which will supply electricity to a nearby Perdue feed mill and Perdue AgriBusiness grain facility, is the first phase of a project in which a total of 11,000 panels are being installed at two Perdue facilities.

Washington Gas Energy Services owns the panels, which are being installed by Standard Solar of Rockville, Md. Both systems will generate a combined average of 3.7 MWh of electricity per year. At peak production, the panels will produce up to 90 percent of the electricity needed for each Perdue facility, the company says.

The company estimates that the solar panels will reduce carbon emissions by 3,000 tons per year through the life of the 15-year contract.

In related news, Cenergy Power has completed a 1.1 MW solar photovoltaic system for fresh produce container manufacturer Maxco at its factory in Parlier, Calif. The solar power system (pictured) covers more than four acres of ground at the Parlier complex.

As part of the solar arrangement, in addition to the design, engineering and installation of the solar system, Cenergy Power will provide 10 years of scheduled operations and maintenance for the system. Maxco expects the system to pay for itself within five years.

SOURCE: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/08/10/perdue-maxco-cut-ribbons-on-solar-arrays/