There are solar panels on many houses and companies nowadays, and a business in Northland has 438 solar power panels, almost ready to be turned on.
The biggest commercial solar array in the Twin Ports is scheduled to be installed at Epicurean, a firm famous for its culinary accessories, some of which may be in your house.
A project that was conceived in 2017 and launched in the summer of 2022 is expected to be finished soon. Since moving into its new offices at Superior in January 2017, Epicurean has been working toward this objective. For the amount of energy we use, starting to transition to a slightly more solar energy system is the proper course of action, according to Epicurean CFO Dave Benson.
According to Tony Ciardelli, CEO of Epicurean, “we have around 60 AC equipment in our production line, enormous vacuum pumps,” thus, installing all these solar panels would help the company save money on electricity. When we examine our electrical costs, we often see monthly invoices of about $15,000. We can do roughly 25% of that with the aid of this approach. This means that we could make pretty big savings—possibly over $50,000 annually.
Some of their equipment can be powered in part by the sun’s energy. “We have energy-efficient motors and similar components installed in a lot of the machinery and equipment that we are using. However, according to Benson, this solar will still contribute to reducing the price of operating that equipment.
Winter will be a learning experience for the business, according to Benson, who notes that the winter months are gradually beginning to approach the Northland. However, he knows the major upkeep of the solar panels. “Keeping the areas free and untouched by snow. In order to simply keep the snow off it, some care and upkeep will be required. However, the sun will heat the panels, causing much of the snow to melt and immediately fall off. But I guess only time will tell. We’ll see how that turns out.
The company claims that it is helping to inspire others because this energy-saving program’s objective is almost complete. “Neighbors have already expressed a lot of interest in us, inquiring us how we went about installing this solar installation and who the contractor was whom we worked with. We are certainly open to any opportunities to serve as a resource for anyone seeking to power their operations with sustainable energy, said Ciardelli.
Jonas Muthoni is an entrepreneur and renewable energy expert. He is the founder of MicroGridMedia.com, a website dedicated to bringing the latest news and information about solar energy and other renewable energy sources to the public. Jonas is passionate about promoting sustainable energy solutions and educating the public about the benefits of renewable energy. He is a regular speaker at industry events and conferences and is committed to driving the transition to a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.