A 1.125 megawatt solar photovoltaic system is now providing power to a leading huller and sheller of almonds in the USA.
Covering 4 acres, the solar farm was designed and constructed by Cenergy Power for Superior Almond at their Cantua Creek processing facility in California.
The system is expected to generate over 1.8 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually and offset over 40% of the facility’s power consumption; saving Superior Almond USD $5 million in electricity costs over the next 25 years.
The massive solar panel array will also reduce the facility’s carbon footprint by 1,300 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
Far from a simple project, the undertaking involved dealing with end-of-line unstable voltage issues and complex interconnection requirements.
Cenergy says its solar solutions provide businesses with an annual internal rate of return on their investments of up to 25%. According to The Business Journal, the company has made major headway with almond, walnut and pistachio businesses in Central Valley, installing over 15 megawatts of solar systems.
Commercial solar installations are becoming increasingly common in Australia also as companies begin to understand solar power isn’t just a warm and fuzzy part of greening operations, but can also have a significant positive impact on operational costs.
Another recent major Cenergy project is the 12.5MW solar array at Indianapolis Airport.
41,000 solar panels covering 60 acres will not only generate a huge amount of electricity, but also help raise awareness of the technology in the state. Indiana has a heavy reliance on coal and until the Airport project, the state had just 3MW of solar capacity installed.
Indiana Power & Light will purchase the electricity from the airport under a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA).
Trivia : while often referred to as a nut, an almond is the seed of a fruit of the almond tree.
