Hop supplier adds largest rooftop solar array in Washington state

August 31, 2020 – One of six buildings at Yakima Chief Hops located in the Yakima Valley of Washington with a total of 3,706 solar panels, the largest solar array in the state. (PRNewsfoto/Yakima Chief Hops)

Yakima Chief Hops (YCH), a 100% farmer owned hop supplier for the brewing industry, announced their latest solar panel installation for a total of 3,706 solar panels, the largest rooftop solar array in Washington state. While YCH has offices located across the globe, the company’s headquarters are based in Yakima, Washington, known as the hop capitol of the world. Surrounded by hop fields of local family farms, YCH has multiple facilities across the valley. With the longer days unique to the Pacific Northwest and their passion for sustainability, YCH utilized these buildings to house their own solar project.

YCH partnered with Ellensburg Solar to complete the installation of the solar array who have been involved since the first panel was installed back in 2016.

“At YCH, we aim to make more of an impact by making less of one,” said Levi Wyatt, Corporate Social Responsibility Coordinator at YCH. “Our operations utilize a significant amount of energy and we are committed to finding ways to lessen our dependency on fossil fuels and finite resources. We also believe in using our business to inspire and influence environmental solutions.”

Project Details

YCH’s solar array spans across six buildings, covering a total of 70,000 square feet with 3,706 solar panels and producing 1,414,766 kwh of electricity annually. YCH is able to capture 15% of their entire electricity demands and offset their annual emissions by 1,000 Metric tons, equivalent to providing 170 homes with electricity for one year.

To date, YCH has invested more than 2 million dollars in renewable energy solutions as they work towards energy independence. Additionally, YCH teamed up with local energy suppliers Benton REA and Pacific Power & Light to conduct an energy management assessment. YCH will begin implementation of a 1.2 million kwh energy savings uncovered during the assessment.

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: https://solarbuildermag.com/news/hop-supplier-adds-largest-rooftop-solar-array-in-washington-state/]