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Case Study |
El Cerrito Natural Grocery
The Natural Grocery Company has built its foundation on providing
exceptional service and high quality goods to its customers.
The company has stores in Berkeley and El Cerrito, California,
which both offer a variety of natural and organic food. Bob
Gerner, General Manager, read about Sun Light and Power (SL& P)
in the Berkeley Voice back in 2003 and decided that he wanted
to invest in a solar power system at one of the Natural Grocery
locations. Gerner contacted Sun Light and Power shortly thereafter
to discuss the feasibility of installing a photovoltaic array
on the roof of the El Cerrito store and the project was on
its way.
Goals
Sun Light and Power would design and install a photovoltaic
(PV) system that would generate enough electricity to cover
a significant portion of the store’s electrical usage,
while coordinating with the roofing contractor to integrate
the mounting brackets with the new roof design
Project
During this project SLP worked closely with Armstrong Roofing
to ensure that the installation of PV modules was smoothly
incorporated into the roof remodel. Due to the varying roof
heights of the El Cerrito Natural Grocery, SLP was able to
position the array on the tallest roof facing south, the
optimal orientation for PV, without casting shade on the
other modules. SLP offered Bob Gerner the option of installing
the inverters inside of the building, instead of outside
as is typical, so that they would be more accessible and
make it easier for Gerner to monitor production. Sun Light
and Power completed the following:
- Designed and engineered a PV system which included 210
Mitsubishi 170-W att modules,
producing 35.7 kW of peak power.
- Incorporated five SM A Sunny Boy inverters to convert
the DC power created by the
system to usable AC power.
- Installed a monitoring system wired into an internet
connection.
Results
In November 2005, El Cerrito Natural Grocery began utilizing
a 35.7 kW system producing
clean renewable energy. As of March 2007, the system has
generated 60,251 KWh of electricity, offsetting about 74,702
lbs of carbon dioxide and providing a significant portion
of the store’s electrical needs.
Sun Light and Power Co.
1035 Folger Avenue, Berkeley, CA
www.sunlightandpower.com
(800) 233-4786
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