Companies partner to encourage sustainable practices, save on costly energy charges

Accardi Foods, one of New Englands largest specialty food distributors based in Medford, MA, has partnered with Solect Energy of Hopkinton, MA to install a 446 kilowatt (kW) solar array on the roof of its 75,000-square-foot warehouse and office facility. The solar array is owned by Accardi Foods and is expected to cover much of the companys annual energy costs.

After seeing numerous solar installations in the area—and in order to keep up with the current business climate—the Accardi team opted to take action toward becoming more green and making the switch to solar.

"We were thrilled to partner with Solect on this new venture," said Anthony DeVirgilio, Co-founder at Accardi Foods. "It is exciting to have finally taken a green initiative for our business by investing in solar, and the newfound financial flexibility will allow us to be more agile in our decision making by reinvesting in the business."

The company has complete ownership of the array, and will utilize the states Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) as well as the current SREC program. Accardi will now save money on its energy costs with the new array and will continue to benefit from this investment throughout the duration of the solar arrays 20-year lifetime.

"It was a pleasure working with the team at Accardi Foods on the installation of their solar array," said Brain Herr, VP of Business Development at Solect Energy. "Not only is the system a cost-effective decision by the company, but it will have a positive environmental impact on the area and help Accardi achieve its goal of utilizing clean energy."

With the new solar energy system in place, Accardi Foods will be able to further pursue its goal of becoming more sustainable. As owners of the array, the company has now achieved energy independence, giving it the benefit of being free from the volatile price of fossil fuels. Accardi Foods will also see a reduced carbon footprint over the years as a result of the new installation.