From our research… we cant find a bigger PV solar System (135KW or 576 of PV solar Panels) that has been supplied and installed on an AUTO dealer in Florida or the East Coast of the USA for that matter.

Case Study - Schumacher Auto Group of Palm Beach

Sean Cochrane | SuperGreen Solutions

Company Name: SuperGreen Solutions  3583 Northlake Blvd Palm Beach Gardens

Contact: Sean Cochrane

Phone Number: Store  561 767 8224. Head Office – 561 7

Email address: info@supergreensolutions-pbg.com

Website address: www.supergreensolutions.com

Project location: Schumacher Auto Group of Palm Beach (Okeechobee Blvd)

Project budget: $600,000 With Tax credits and FP&L rebates the system should cost one third of the ticket price.



List of Products used:

  1. 576 x 235 Watt Canadian Solar PV panels, with 12 x Fronius 10/12 KVA Inverters, Over 5184 feet of Racking and Rail, Miles of Cable.
  2. Over 36 People worked on this project so it is a great example of job creation and job retention and up to 16 Installers were working on the roofs at any given time.
  3. The system is spread over 4 roofs as the total footprint for the 576 PV panels amounts to over 10,000 Square feet. 
  4. The System can generate over 135kw per hour or around 690 KWH per day equating to 25,3940.22 KW per year.
  5. Since Auto Dealers are increasingly, marketing Electric vehicles or Plug in Hybrids – This 576 PV panel solar System can generate enough power to charge between  50 and 80 Chevy Volts from 10% charge to 100% every day ( or enough to charge around 21,000 Chevy Volts per year ).  
  6. The system would Generate over $33,000 Dollars in energy savings in its first year alone.
  7. The Compounded Dollar savings the system will create in energy savings over the 25Year warrantee period of the panels, will run into savings worth well over 1.5 Million Dollars. ( Not bad for around a $200,000 Investment after Rebates and tax credits.)

Unusual situations or problems that you came across:

None that stand out …. Just the normal situations of making the racking fit onto older buildings roofs. And Dealing with Freight companies that did not always deliver products on time or having to work around Christmas and New year holidays.

Summary:

From our research… we cant find a bigger PV solar System (135KW or 576 of PV solar Panels) that has been supplied and installed on an AUTO dealer in Florida or the East Coast of the USA for that matter.

The leadership shown by Mr. Chuck Schumacher in putting his money where his mouth is, in investing in innovative Green Products from LED Lighting for his showrooms and Parking lots to reduce energy draw to the 576 PV solar panels on his roofs is nothing short of astounding. As many other Dealers and Business leaders are now following suit.

I commend the Auto industry for developing and marketing alternative and greener forms of transport. However by simply powering our Vehicles of today and tomorrow with energy that is produced by Goal or Gas fired power stations, is merely substituting one fossil fuel for another e.g. Coal for Gasoline. But when electric or Plug in Hybrid vehicles can be powered by Renewable energy devices such as Solar panels and wind Turbines. The green vehicle concept is crystalized, and our air that we leave for our children will be a bit cleaner.

This is not just a case of Solar power being able to save money that would be paid to the Utility company, ( in fact FP&L deserves accolades for helping make this project possible due to their Solar Rebate incentive program ). This is a glowing example that shows that Solar power is viable with a 4- 5 year Return on investment and 25year Warrantee Period, it shows Solar power makes sense. It is also proof that Auto dealers can lead the way and prove that electric vehicles can be greener than and CO2 free  and that the surplus power that is not used to charge  E.V.’s can be fed back into the Grid to power other needs elsewhere.

About SuperGreen Solutions

SuperGreen Solutions leads the market as one of Florida's new premier advisors, suppliers and installers of domestic and commercial energy efficient solutions, making us truly a 'one stop energy efficient solution shop'. Having been in the Energy Efficiency industry for over 18 years the founders have established a solid reputation spanning 3 continents. We are different because we look at energy creation and energy saving from a holistic point of view, to provide our clients with total solutions.

 

The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of AltEnergyMag

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