Sunetric installs 113 kW System at Wholesale Unlimited, Inc.
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<br/> Waipahu, HI – sunetric.com – Wholesale Unlimited Inc., famous for its crack seed and Li Hing treats, has a new trick up its sleeve. Just in time for Halloween, the local snack food company is switching to solar energy with the help of Sunetric, the state’s largest locally owned and operated solar company. Sunetric recently completed the net-metered project, saving Wholesale Unlimited nearly $40,000 per year in energy costs. <br/><br/> “Wholesale Unlimited is thrilled to be switching to clean energy,” said Marc Honma, Vice President of Wholesale Unlimited, Inc. “As a member of Hawaii’s community since 1965, we’ve grown up with Hawaii’s families. Making the investment in solar energy will help eliminate our electric bills and allow us to keep delivering the high-quality, reasonably priced snacks that people love,” he said. “It is very important for us to do what’s best for Hawaii – to protect the environment and keep it beautiful.”<br/><br/> Wholesale Unlimited is investing over a half million dollars into the state-of-the-art system which features 495 Trina 230 W modules. The panels will generate an average of 521 kWh of electricity per day – and when combined with tax incentives, Wholesale Unlimited will recoup its investment sometime during the fourth year of operation,” said Marc Unowitz, Sunetric energy consultant. <br/><br/> Sunetric’s CEO Alex Tiller adds, “Wholesale Unlimited is a longtime anchor of this community. This important investment for Hawaii’s aina sends a strong message about their overall values and commitment to the environment.” <br/><br/> Over the next 30 years, Wholesale Unlimited’s new solar array is estimated to prevent approximately 4,543 tons of carbon dioxide emissions from entering Hawaii’s air. The solar panels will offset 99.6% percent of their electrical usage, replacing 9,653 barrels of oil that would have otherwise been burned for energy. <br/><br/> To read the full press release please click here.<br/><br/> On The Web:<br/>StarAdvertiser<br/>
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It was a historic day yesterday for the Kona Brewing Co. as they announced its 229 kW solar energy generating system at its Kailua-Kona brewery and pub on Hawaii’s Big Island is fully operational. The brewery held a private blessing of the system with us (Sunetric) on Monday, October 18. Kumu Keala Ching provided the blessing, and guests enjoyed tastes of one of Kona Brewing Co.’s first batches of solar-energy-produced beer, Suncharged Pale Ale.<br/><br/> “It was an exciting day when we flipped the switch,” said Kona Brewing Co.’s President and CEO Mattson Davis. “The install went smooth, thanks to the expert guidance provided by Sunetric. Now, we are the first brewery in Hawaii making sun-powered beer, and our system is among the largest in the craft beer industry nationwide. It’s a great feeling!”<br/><br/> The project, a roof-mounted grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) system made up of 880 260-watt solar modules, produces an average of 900 kWh of electricity each day, allowing Kona Brewing Co. nearly 60 percent offset of its current electricity usage. At the entrance to the restaurant, Kona Brewing Co. guests can check out a real-time monitor that shows how much energy the solar system is generating. At the current commercial retail electricity rate, the system will offset more than $100,000 in Kona Brewing Co.’s electricity expenditures per year.<br/><br/> “Kona Brewing Co. should be proud of the environmental impact it’s making in our islands,” said Sunetric CEO Alex Tiller. “Thanks to forward-thinking organizations such as this, Hawaii will reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuel.”<br/><br/> The next time you’re in Kona, visit the brewery and check out all the awesomeness going on!
<br/><br/> A feed-in tariff (FIT) is the price per unit of electricity that a utility or supplier has to pay for renewable electricity from private generators, such as a home owner who has, for example, installed a solar energy system on their rooftop.<br/><br/> FIT puts the end user in the power position – literally! The utility company buys all the electricity produced by solar panels on your property to redistribute through the grid as eco-friendly green energy.<br/>
<br/><br/> As the marketing coordinator for Sunetric, Laura schedules events which Sunetric attends and also works on a variety of other ways that Sunetric interacts with the public. She is the coordinator for collateral development, customer satisfaction analysis, and helps with Sunetric’s advertising campaigns. Being Sunetric’s marketing coordinator also means dealing with the company’s marketing budget and interacting with Sunetric’s outside marketing company and bringing in Sunetric’s internal management on all of the company’s marketing efforts.<br/><br/> During her last year at the University of New Hampshire, Laura had the opportunity to intern for the Environmental Protection Agency. After graduation, this turned into a full time position. As a public affairs specialist for the EPA, Laura was responsible for coordinating the Earth Artist Program—an environmental awareness project that invites kids from kindergarten through sixth grade to submit artwork on environmental themes. The goal of the program was to encourage students to think about what they can do to help the environment. Laura said, “It was a really great experience helping to educate New England’s youth about the environment, and now I am thankful for the opportunity to do similar work for the environment in Hawaii.”<br/><br/> Laura has brought that same excitement about environmental education and responsibility to Sunetric. She is a major proponent of solar energy and says that it’s a great feeling to help people to save money and help the environment at the same time. To that end, a major part of Laura’s job at Sunetric is scheduling Watt Wheels at events all over the island. For those who don’t know, Watt Wheels is a Sunetric exclusive—a bright green Honda Element fitted with three 230 watt SunPower modules. Watt Wheels is available to provide free, renewable electricity to events all over Oahu. Laura schedules the mobile power station for community events, beach clean-ups, surf competitions, conferences, expos, and just about anything else you could imagine.<br/><br/> Laura is excited about helping to further clean energy, and has a lot of positive things to say about Sunetric as a company as well. She considers it a company with positive goals, fresh ideas, and vision. Sunetric is the most experienced solar company in Hawaii and the only that handles every step of the installation process, and that positions the company as the premier renewable energy provider in the state.<br/><br/> When asked about the outlook for solar power from her perspective as marketing coordinator, Laura had this to say: “I can’t wait for the day when renewable energy replaces our dependence on fossil fuels. The islands are a beautiful sunny place and perfect for showing the rest of the world what solar energy is capable of. I feel lucky to be a part of a company working toward Hawaii’s energyindependence and couldn’t be happier about Sunetric’s work and direction.”
<br/><br/> The 10/10/10 Global Work Party, organized by the international climate change watchdog organization 350.org, is an opportunity to raise the collective voices of clean energy advocates worldwide to urge lawmakers to address the climate crisis. Among the local groups partnering with Blue Planet Foundation to organize Hawai‘i Community Work Day T.E.N. (Teach Energy Now) projects are Sunetric, the law firm Schlack Ito Lockwood Piper & Elkind, the O‘ahu chapter of Surfrider Foundation, Apollo Kaua‘i, Malama Kaua‘i, Kalama‘ula Mauka Homestead<br/><br/> Association, Laulima Kuha‘o, Kanu O Ka A‘ina, Maui’s Community Work Day Program, UH Maui College’s Go Green Club, and Sustainable UH.<br/><br/> “Whether it is through helping in the installation of solar panels, planting gardens, holding a light bulb exchange, conducting energy audits, or organizing bicycle repairs, these groups will take action to encourage energy efficiency and promote Hawai‘i’s pursuit of a clean, renewable energy future,” said Francois Rogers, Blue Planet’s Special Projects Director. “These projects will also involve an essential education component, giving participants a foundation on which they can help build the movement toward energy independence.”<br/><br/> Sunetric’s events will occur on 10/10/10 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Hongwanji Mission School on the Pali. Sunetric chose this location because it is about to install a 160 kW solar power system at Hongwanji at no charge to the school.<br/><br/> “Sunetric is investing over $900,000 to build their solar array through our non-profit PPA program,” Sean Mullen, Sunetric’s Founder, President and Commercial GM. When completed, the solar array will save the school over $200,000 during the 20-year contract, equivalent to an estimated 441 barrels of oil or 21,327 gallons of gas per year. “At Sunetric, we protect the earth one solar panel at a time,” Mullen said.<br/><br/> “In conjunction with the Blue Planet Foundation’s T.E.N. Project, Sunetric’s advancement of photovoltaics for Hongwanji Mission School are great examples of how we can push forward together towards the State’s goal of 70% clean energy by 2030,” said Theodore Peck, Hawaii<br/> State Energy Administrator. “We set these goals through the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative because we simply can’t continue to rely so heavily on imported oil. I’m very hopeful that partnerships and actions such as these will inspire many more to make clean energy a priority for themselves and their communities,” he said. “With the ramping-up of photovoltaic installations on public and private facilities, Hawaii now ranks third in the nation in per-capital photovoltaic generation.”<br/><br/> Sunetric has coordinated the following community groups to have a booth at the Green Fair and Expo:<br/>