True Leaf Farms And SPG Solar Add Green With Combination Solar Power System

Rooftop and ground mount tracking system provides an annual savings of over $110,000--- Project offsets 35 percent of total energy costs at the processing arm of Church Brothers

Petaluma, Calif. – February 12, 2013 – True Leaf Farms, part of nationwide produce supplier Church Brothers Produce, and SPG Solar, a leading provider of commercial solar power products and services, have completed a combination rooftop solar power system and SunSeeker® tracker ground-mount system to lower operating costs and drive sustainability in agriculture business. The 981.1 kilowatt system will produce almost 1.8 million kilowatts-per-hour – the equivalent of powering 160 average U.S. homes annually, offsetting 35 percent of the total energy costs of the 190,000-square-foot processing plant in Yuma, Ariz.


"True Leaf Farms was motivated to go solar to lower energy costs and invest in a technology that will continually contribute to lowering costs for years to come," said David Gill, partner at True Leaf Farms. "For agricultural businesses struggling with rising energy costs, SPG Solar provides a bankable solution that is durable, efficient and easy to maintain, helping us achieve our goals and allowing us to take advantage of Arizona's must abundant resource: the sun."

True Leaf Farms funded the project in part by using the federal tax credit as well as capitalizing on incentives from Arizona's leading producer of electric power, APS, through their Renewable Energy Inventive Program. By installing SPG's combination systems, True Leaf Farms will not only offset an annual 1,363 tons of greenhouse emissions, but also saves over $110,000 annually.

"Increasingly, agriculture businesses throughout North America are turning to SPG Solar's proven solar technology to escape rising energy costs," said Dylan Dupre, SPG Solar's vice president of business development. "Family farms and dairies are learning that with new financing options they can go solar — often without upfront capital outlay — and see immediate savings in Year 1 as well as gaining long-term control of their energy costs."

About True Leaf Farms
True Leaf Farms is the processing arm of Church Brothers, LLC in Salinas, CA. True Leaf Farms was founded in 2002 and merged its operations with Church Brothers in 2004. True Leaf Farms processes seasonally out of San Juan Bautista, CA and Yuma, AZ. Core items that are processed at True Leaf Farms include spinach, spring mix, salad blends, coleslaw, whole leaves, broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, cilantro, parsley and kale for food service and retail. True Leaf Farms operates under strict GMP and HACCP guidelines and is GFSI Certified plus PTI Compliant. For more information visit www.churchbrothers.com

About SPG Solar
SPG Solar is a leading national provider of solar power services and products. Since 2001, SPG Solar has been designing, engineering, building and maintaining high-quality solar power systems for large commercial, industrial, governmental and public energy users. SPG Solar provides customers solar at a lower cost with a higher solar output through the All Weather SunSeeker® Tracker, a single-axis tracker that produces up to 25 percent more solar energy in all weather conditions. For more information about SPG Solar, visit www.spgsolar.com

Featured Product

HPS EnduraCoilTM Cast Resin Medium Voltage Transformer

HPS EnduraCoilTM Cast Resin Medium Voltage Transformer

HPS EnduraCoil is a high-performance cast resin transformer designed for many demanding and diverse applications while minimizing both installation and maintenance costs. Coils are formed with mineral-filled epoxy, reinforced with fiberglass and cast to provide complete void-free resin impregnation throughout the entire insulation system. HPS EnduraCoil complies with the new NRCan 2019 and DOE 2016 efficiency regulations and is approved by both UL and CSA standards. It is also seismic qualified per IBC 2012/ASCE 7-10/CBC 2013. Cast resin transformers are self-extinguishing in the unlikely event of fire, environmentally friendly and offer greater resistance to short circuits. HPS also offers wide range of accessories for transformer protection and monitoring requirements.