Nuance Energy, manufacturer of the patent-pending Osprey PowerPlatform and developer of distributed generation solar projects through its Central Valley California AgWell Solar division, has installed 530 kW of solar power at the Flag City RV Resort in central California. Nuance Energy handled the installation directly owing to the project’s complexity, which involved rooftop, carport and ground mount solar arrays, as well as both state and local permitting requirements.
“Flag City RV Resort is proud of our highly efficient solar initiative, which reflects both our financial responsibility and environmental stewardship,” said Ricky Gill, the resort’s co-owner. “As one of the top-rated RV resorts in the U.S., we strive for excellence and believe this is a project our peers will seek to emulate. Thanks to our close partnership with Nuance Energy, we successfully completed this project that involved several challenges and multiple jurisdictions.”
Site challenges
Among the challenges were the undocumented underground services, the site’s 15-degree slope, and the constant traffic in and out of the resort. The Osprey PowerPlatform’s use of Nuance Energy’s innovative earth anchor foundation system easily overcame all three of these challenges based on its minimal ground penetration, adjustable anchor stands and the lack of need for any heavy equipment, including pile drivers, screw augers, backhoes or cement trucks.
Additional value
The installation was “green” for another reason, as it enabled Flag City to switch to a more favorable rate from the local utility, which eliminated the high demand charges with the previous rate. Those savings, combined with the daily offset of energy needed from the grid and tax considerations, result in an estimated payback in the fourth year of operation.
“Continued reductions in the cost of solar modules and inverters have made the business case for solar energy far more compelling for virtually all businesses,” said Brian C. Boguess, Nuance Energy’s co-founder and CEO. “Nuance Energy is making solar energy even more viable and affordable with the use of an earth anchor foundation system and related innovations that together provide the industry’s lowest installation cost for ground mount projects, including those like Flag City’s that present difficult challenges.”
— Solar Builder magazine
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