Barrette Outdoor Living adds over 2 MW of solar power at Florida facility

Barrette Outdoor Living rooftop solar installation

Barrette Outdoor Living has completed the installation of a rooftop solar array on their 200,000 square foot aluminum fence and railing manufacturing facility in Brooksville, Florida, making it the largest privately-owned solar project in Florida at the time of contract. The 2.35 megawatt direct current system was designed and installed by Advanced Green Technologies of Fort Lauderdale, FL. The array is comprised of 27 invertors, 6,354 solar panels and is capable of producing more than 2,352,489 watts direct current of power output which will offset approximately 81 percent of the facility’s electricity consumption.

This rooftop array is a major step in not only reducing operating costs, but minimizing Barrette Outdoor Living’s carbon footprint on the community. The energy generated by the solar array will produce approximately 3.465 gigawatt hour of energy annually with a CO2 offset of 2,450 metric ton. This equates to driving 6,079,140 miles in a passenger vehicle, charging 312,440,375 smartphones or planting 40,510 trees.

The project is the result of the company’s interconnection agreement for solar production with Duke Energy Florida, and it is the second Barrette Outdoor Living plant to undergo a transition to solar power. In April 2019, the company completed installation of a 2.14 megawatt direct current rooftop system at their 400,000 square foot facility in Galloway, NJ.

“We are proud of our commitment to build sustainable and environmentally-responsible practices to help green our supply chain and decrease our carbon footprint,” said Jean desAutels, President of Barrette Outdoor Living. The company will continue to further their sustainable gains by working to implement solar panel programs throughout some of their other facilities over the next few years.

In addition to their green building initiatives, Barrette Outdoor Living owns and operates GreenWays, a recycling program for pre- and post-consumer rigid PVC with facilities in Fredericksburg, VA and Plant City, FL. GreenWays partners with individual suppliers to manage the disposal of their scrap materials in an eco-friendly manner. The results of the program help reduce CO2 emissions, lower greenhouse gases and decrease landfill waste in local communities.

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: https://solarbuildermag.com/news/barrette-outdoor-living-adds-over-2-mw-of-solar-power-at-florida-facility/]