Gorhams Goes Solar: Savings of $100,000 Annually
Alternative Energy Systems (Bermuda) Ltd. (AES) has been awarded a contract by Gorham’s True Value Home Centre to engineer, design, supply and install a photovoltaic solar energy system to generate electricity at its store in Pembroke. Following a similar contract with Lindo’s Group of Companies, this is the second large-scale commercial solar energy project for AES.
For this project, AES will be submitting a planning application for a 160,000 watt system, which upon completion will save Gorham’s approximately $105,000 a year on electricity bills based on the current cost of electricity. In addition, over the 25-year warranty period the photovoltaic system will save almost 4.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide or CO2 emissions from entering Bermuda’s atmosphere. It’s the emission of CO2 that is a major contributor to global warming.
Michael Scott, Minister of Energy, Telecommunications & E-commerce, says: “I applaud Gorham’s for taking the initiative to join the pioneers in Bermuda’s business sector who are embracing renewable energy options. Companies like Gorham’s are leading the way in encouraging others in Bermuda to follow suit and adopt non-polluting energy solutions that provide both a financial savings and an environmental benefit.”
While the complete project for Gorham’s will result in a 160,000 watt system, the company will start with an initial installation of 16,000 watts, which they will build upon over time.
Tim Madeiros, CEO, Alternative Energy Systems, says: “While a photovoltaic system like this will pay itself off in approximately seven to nine years, customers can be intimidated by the initial investment. We are thrilled to be working with Gorham’s on this project as it is a great example of how implementing a solar energy system can be done in phases to meet budget parameters. Once the initial framework is installed, the system can be expanded very easily at any time with minimal disruption.”
Gorham’s General Manager Andrew Mackay says: “We’ve seen the technology in the solar energy industry reach new heights as costs for the technology have decreased so we feel it is the perfect time to reinforce our commitment to environmental conservation by adopting renewable energy at our store. We look at it as an investment in the business that has a positive impact on Bermuda, and we are grateful that AES was able to make it work for us.”
Solar photovoltaic technology converts electromagnetic energy from the sun into direct current (DC) electrical energy. This technology is particularly well-suited to Bermuda as the island receives an average of seven hours of sunshine a day and is geographically positioned at 32 degrees latitude for optimum solar energy collection.
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Category: All, Environment
