Business & Tech

PHOTO: Attleboro Business Goes Solar

Two Attleboro businesses teamed up to create a solar installation that will cover nearly all of one businesses electricity needs.

Two Attleboro businesses, U.S. Solarworks and Craft Inc., teamed up recently to create a solar energy installation on the Craft Inc. rooftop.

The solar panels will make their official debut at a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday at 1 p.m.

Check out the information below for a full look into how the panels work:

The installation is a three-part system consisting of rooftop solar, a solar carport, and a solar awning. The carport and awning are both cutting-edge and custom-engineered pieces that were installed to ensure that solar covers all of Craft Inc's electricity needs--the roof array by itself covers 70% of Craft Inc's electricity needs, but the solar carport and solar awning will ensure that the remaining 30% is covered.  In a worst-case weather scenario, the system will still cover about 90% of Craft's electricity needs.

In total, the system consists of 1,218 REC solar panels, and is 310 kilowatts (kW). REC is one of the best performing brands on the market, and the panels were manufactured primarily in the United States. In fact, all of the primary components of the system: panels, racking, inverters and wiring, were manufactured in America. US SolarWorks typically only uses high-powered American products in its projects.

The system will produce 408,841 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity each year. Because of this high production, Craft Inc expects to obtain approximately $1.1 million in Massachusetts Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs). In addition, Craft Inc will receive a federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) to recover 30% of the project's cost. 

By using solar energy to eliminate its monthly electricity bill, and obtaining the SRECs and ITC, Craft Inc will recover the full cost of the project in 3-5 years. After the project pays for itself, Craft Inc will continue to save massive amounts in electricity costs for decades. The solar installation also adds substantial equity to Craft Inc's building.

US SolarWorks completed this installation as part of an initiative to utilize solar energy as a lean-cost strategy for advanced next generation manufacturing. The project exemplifies the benefits of solar energy for modern American manufacturers.


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