Renewvia Energy is helping a manufacturing business in New Hampshire set a state record while cutting the company’s energy costs in half. Renewvia recently finished work on the largest rooftop solar array in New Hampshire at Worthen Industries. Worthen is a 150-year-old, family-owned manufacturer with deep ties to its state and community.
This is Renewvia’s second distributed solar project for Worthen and part of the manufacturer’s larger sustainability efforts. The array includes 2,710 solar panels and spans 90,000 square feet of roof at one of their manufacturing facilities in Nashua. The array will generate approximately 50% of the energy the business needs to operate.
“Solar is becoming more understood and standard with businesses in all areas of the world because of the obvious and immediate economic advantages in addition to the bump in brand equity associated with corporate carbon reduction initiatives. U.S. corporations can gain access to valuable tax rebates and subsidies, while doing something good for their community,” said Trey Jarrard, CEO Renewvia Energy.
Worthen CEO David Worthen said installing the array was a strategic business move that would protect the company from changing energy costs. “The northeast really has issues with electricity costs, and installing solar panels is one way to offset that financial burden. We are able to save a substantial amount of money through energy savings.”
Worthen also considered the panels an important investment in the company’s future and a statement about their commitment to protecting the environment. “We want to be around for another hundred and fifty years,” he said. “The best way we do that is to make products efficiently, to use less energy and create less waste.”
While any solar array is a noteworthy investment, the scope of the Worthen project caught the attention of local and state leadership, plus many environmental groups. Worthen was praised in the local media and during the annual New Hampshire Energy Week, which is held in early March. Also, the Concord Monitor published an editorial written by David Worthen about the benefits of clean energy policies.
