Hormel Foods Corp. and IGS Solar have started construction on a solar energy project at the Hormel Foods Swiss American Sausage Company facility in Lathrop, Calif. The project is slated for completion in July.
IGS will partner with PCI Solar who will install the solar system, which will consist of 1,998 panels constructed on both roof and ground space. The project is projected to generate roughly 1.2 million kilowatt hours (kWh) per year — enough to supply more than 15 percent of the facility’s annual electricity consumption.
The new solar array will help the environment by offsetting an estimated 869 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year that would otherwise be emitted by a conventional fossil fuel power plant. That amount of emissions avoided is also equivalent to removing 185 cars from the road annually or avoiding burning 950,419 pounds of coal.
“We place great emphasis on minimizing our environmental impacts when producing food for customers and consumers around the world,” said Tom Raymond, director of environmental sustainability at Hormel Foods. “This project supports our environmental sustainability goals and is another example of the company’s commitment and support of renewable energy.”
IGS and PCI worked hand in hand with Hormel Foods to deliver a project that provides meaningful energy savings for the company. IGS Solar will own, operate and maintain the array. The company is assisting Hormel Foods to integrate solar generation into their energy portfolio, while helping them better control the long-term energy costs for their buildings.
“We’re not only excited about working with Hormel Foods, but we’re also looking forward to the economic benefits this project will yield for them,” said William Neverman, regional manager, IGS Solar. “We look forward to a long-standing partnership with Hormel Foods as they continue their focus on energy sustainability efforts.”
The Hormel Foods project is the latest California installation for PCI Solar and will bring the company’s installed capacity in the state to over 8MW.
“We are honored to be installing the company’s first on-site solar project,” said Craig Floyd, general manager of PCI Solar. “Bringing this project to construction required close collaboration with Hormel Foods and IGS Solar, and we couldn’t have asked for better partners. We look forward to working together further.”
In addition to this project, Hormel Foods also supports the renewable energy markets by subscribing to community solar gardens at five manufacturing locations, including a co-sponsorship with Westar Energy for its first community solar garden near Wichita, Kan., where the company manufactures most of its Hormel Natural Choice bacon products. The company also recently announced a virtual power purchase agreement for wind energy. For more information about the company’s environmental stewardship efforts, visit https://csr.hormelfoods.com/.
Source: Hormel Foods
