Stellar Energy to Install 296-kW System at ASC Profiles Inc.

The new 296-kW solar energy system consists of five individual solar photovoltaic arrays. Four are elevated carport structures, and one is a roof-mounted array. The total array area is 22,133 square feet and features 1,056 Eoplly 280 watt solar modules and one Solectria SGI 266-kW inverter, which produces enough electricity to power approximately 70 percent of ASC’s predicted energy consumption.

ASC Profiles’ primary goal was to reduce the operational costs of their manufacturing plant in West Sacramento, Calif., where the company is headquartered. In addition to lowering their electrical bill, ASC Profiles wanted to showcase one of their key customers, Baja Construction Inc. ASC Profiles produces the steel used in Baja’s Solar Support Systems, which are designed to support solar panels for solar carports and shade structures.

After considering all possible financial options, ASC Profiles chose a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Energy Finance Company’s FUSE Fund LP, which provided the capital required to build the system. Stellar Energy provided all engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services and was responsible for managing the entire project on time and on budget.

“Combining Stellar Energy’s experience with a Power Purchase Agreement with Energy Finance Company was the right choice for us,” said Eric Bartlett, Project Manager at ASC Profiles. “We’ve basically gained all the benefits of solar power without the expense of building or responsibility of maintaining the system for 20 years.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Energy Finance Company will own, operate, and maintain the system, with ASC Profiles purchasing the solar generated electricity at a predictable rate lower than that offered by the local utility. By going solar, ASC expects to save approximately $1,250,000 over the next 20 years.

“The savings achieved by the ASC Profiles solar project is another example of the economic benefits available through on-site solar power generation,” said Reyad Fezzani, CEO at Energy Finance Company. “We are pleased to see a growing number of organizations realize the value of solar through the simplicity of a Power Purchase Agreement.”

“The limited roof space available at ASC made this an ideal situation to design a system with Baja’s solar support structures,” said Michael Mittleman, Senior Vice President of Operations at Stellar Energy. “This allowed us to utilize the ‘dead space’ of the parking areas to accommodate the volume of solar modules required, and still provide enough clearance for their delivery trucks to pass through.”

“ASC Profiles is the leading supplier of steel that goes into manufacturing our solar support structures,” said Bob Hayworth, CEO of Baja Construction Inc. “So, naturally we were pleased to have them utilize our elevated cantilever system to accommodate the large solar arrays in their yard. We look forward to helping Stellar Energy in similar large-scale municipal and commercial and solar projects.”