PROJECT OVERVIEW
Location: Clovis, CA
Completed: July, 2005
Installation Type: Commercial Roof
System Size: 1,131 kWPV
surface area: 98,100 square feet
Number of Panels: 7,744
Products: SunPower PowerGuard®
Solar Electric SystemBENEFITS
• Powers 50% of P-R Farm’s packing facility
• Reduces energy and operating costs
• Will reduce CO2 emissions by 10,000tons over 30 years, which is equivalentto planting 2,800 acres of trees or notdriving 25 million miles onCalifornia roadways
With the goal of helping to reduce air pollution in California’s CentralValley, an area that suffers from large amounts of pollution due toindustrial activities and regional weather patterns, Pat Ricchiuti, ownerof P-R Farms, decided to install a large-scale SunPower solar electricsystem atop its packing facility.This facility processes about 1.5 million boxes of fruit each year. Thedeployment, which covers 98,000 square feet and provides 50% of thefacility’s electricity, is one of the largest in the nation.
“Using solar energy to power our operations is consistent with oursustainability ethic and creative approach to managing our operations,”said Ricchiuti.
Innovative solar roof system generates high energy outputThe SunPower PowerGuard solar electric system is a lightweight buildingintegratedassembly installed over the existing roof. It is made up of 7,744solar panels and is designed to provide both power for the facility andadded insulation and protection for the roof. The PowerGuard roof tiles fittogether with interlocking tongue-and-groove side surfaces that enable themto resist wind uplift without roof penetration. Each module has a maximumrated output of 190 watts.
“Solar electricity is theright thing to do—for theenvironment, the community,and for my business.”Pat RicchiutiOwner, P-R Farms
p-r farms maximizes use of solar, protects roofAs a farmer, Ricchiuti already considers himself one of the biggest users ofsolar energy because of the crops he grows. Solar provides a good optionto alleviate peak demand power shortages and help reduce costs associatedwith peak-time electricity purchases from the utility grid. As a result of thecompany’s investment in clean solar power, P-R Farms will save substantiallyon electricity and operating costs and can also reduce heating and coolingcosts because of the added thermal insulation provided by the PowerGuardrooftop system.Energy efficiency support environmental initiativesThe SunPower PowerGuard rooftop solar electric system at P-R farms helpsthe environment by reducing harmful emissions, such as nitrogen oxide, sulfurdioxide and carbon dioxide—all major contributors to smog, acid rain andglobal warming. Over a period of 30 years, the system will reduce CO2emissions by 10,000 tons, which is equivalent to planting 2,800 acres oftrees or not driving 25 million miles on California’s roadways.
