When Conley’s Manufacturing and Sales and the Chino Fairground Association started out in 1946 and 1956 respectively, neither one of them probably expected that one day they would be working together on a photovoltaic system to eliminate electricity costs.
Conley’s Manufacturing and Sales began as a small welding shop in the garage of company owner John Conley in Montclair, Calif. Quickly the company established a stellar reputation among its customers, mainly farms and nurseries in Southern California, and became an innovative leader in greenhouse design and manufacturing. Today Conley’s Manufacturing is still family owned but has grown into a world-recognized supplier of quality greenhouse structures and related equipment. Closely attuned to what customers need, the company recently added a solar division to its portfolio to offer growers alternatives in managing energy costs.
Back in 2008 Conley’s custom designed and built a 50 ft x 120 ft metal pavilion for the non-profit organization Chino Fairgrounds in Chino, Calif. The outdoor structure seats about 540 people and is used to host fairs, rodeos, and other agricultural and family friendly events. Challenged by the need to juggle rising electricity costs and energy consumption for the fairground’s many buildings (the organization also operates an 11,000 sq ft banquet hall and Sholander Arena), board members approached the manufacturer for ideas.
President Tom Conley explains: “Our team has been busy using our resources to research and develop innovative ways for the agriculture industry to harvest the sun’s energy for the past 67 years, so we’re really excited about future opportunities that a natural-fitting solar division at Conley’s can bring.”
The long-term energy investment solar panels provide was soon found to be an ideal fit for the fairgrounds, and Conley partnered with MAGE SOLAR, a U.S.-based provider of high-quality photovoltaic modules with industry-leading warranties. Since the company guarantees 30 years of power output on its products they were an ideal match for the demands the fairground’s management had in regards to sustainability and security. Conley’s solar division designed and installed the 66 kW photovoltaic rooftop system with 282 MAGE POWERTEC PLUS modules. Annually the solar panels will produce over 102,000 kWh which is enough to offset 100 percent of the energy needs for the entire fairground.
“The solar installation on Chino Fairgrounds is a prime example that great leaders evolve,” adds Joe Thomas, President and CEO of MAGE SOLAR USA. “Investing in an organization’s renewable energy future is about firmly establishing roots for its financial sustainability. MAGE SOLAR wants to congratulate both Conley Solar and the Chino Fair Grounds organization for embracing the tremendous opportunities the sun provides and incorporating them so efficiently into their business concepts.”
— Solar Builder magazine
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