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Green Mountain Energy Company Donates Solar Array for New Chamber Headquarters
Green Mountain Energy Company Donates Solar Array for New Chamber Headquarters
Installation of Solar Array Began Today at New Chamber Headquarters
WACO, Texas — May 20, 2008 — Waco’s new Chamber of Commerce headquarters is going to be even ‘greener’ thanks to a donation by Texas-based Green Mountain Energy Company. Green Mountain and the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce today began installing a 9.6 kilowatt (kW) solar array on the rooftop of the Chamber’s new headquarters. The installation will be one of the few solar arrays in Waco. The new Chamber building will open June 6 and is located at 101 S. Third St. at Heritage Square. Officials from the Chamber, Green Mountain and Waco Mayor Virginia DuPuy were on hand for today’s groundbreaking event.
The Green Mountain Energy® Solar at the Waco Chamber of Commerce is expected to be completed in July. The solar facility will be built with 48 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels that will be mounted on the building’s roof. These panels convert sunlight into electricity, producing 9.6 kW of clean energy. When completed, the solar array will be nearly 720 square feet and will offset approximately 6.5 percent of the building’s annual electrical usage.
This solar array will also offset more than 26,500 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2). To put this in perspective, that’s as much CO2 emissions avoided as more than 1,500 trees would absorb in one year. It is also equivalent to recycling more than 65,000 aluminum cans and more than 10,500 pounds of newspaper. The solar panels are being installed by Texas-based Standard Renewable Energy.
Additionally, a display will be located in the Chamber explaining how the solar array works and how it contributes to the building’s energy efficiency.
Green Mountain is funding the Chamber’s new solar array through its Big Texas Sun Club®, a program in which Green Mountain’s Texas customers can choose to support solar energy installations in Texas by paying an additional $5 on their monthly Green Mountain Energy® electric bill, for information, click here. To date, 12 solar projects have been built in Texas thanks to the Big Texas Sun Club. With this 13th installation, Green Mountain’s Big Texas Sun Club will be responsible for creating nearly 146 kW of new solar energy capacity in Texas since 2002. Austin-based Green Mountain is Texas’ only electric provider dedicated to cleaner electricity.
“The Greater Waco Chamber is pleased to accept this generous grant from Green Mountain Energy Company, which makes it possible for us to use solar energy to power our building,” said Chamber President James G. Vaughan Jr. “We are proud to incorporate photovoltaic solar panels into our design and to set the standard for innovative ways to utilize cleaner, renewable technologies.”
“Green Mountain Energy Company is proud to partner with the Waco Chamber to build this new solar array and help make downtown Waco greener,” said Paul Markovich, senior vice president, Residential Services, for Green Mountain. "Building this solar facility supports our mission to change the way power is made.”
The Chamber is seeking to be the first LEED© (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building in Greater Waco. LEED is a program of the U.S. Green Building Council that recognizes building owners for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. The solar array will earn the building a possible LEED point based on the percentage of annual savings. Construction began on the new headquarters in April 2007. The 14,000-square-foot building is the first in a three-block, $60 million mixed-use development downtown. The building is funded through the Challenge Greater Waco Campaign and will be owned by the Waco Chamber of Commerce Community Development Foundation.
About Green Mountain Energy Company
Green Mountain, the nation’s leading provider of cleaner energy and carbon offset solutions, began in 1997 with a simple idea: “to change the way power is made.” The company offers consumers and businesses the choice of cleaner electricity products using renewable sources such as wind, water and solar that help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted into the air. Green Mountain customers have collectively helped avoid over 4.1 million tons of CO2 emissions .
About the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber is a voluntary association of businesses, professionals and individuals working together to build a healthy business environment, promote economic development and work effectively to improve the quality of life in the Greater Waco area.
WACO, Texas — May 20, 2008 — Waco’s new Chamber of Commerce headquarters is going to be even ‘greener’ thanks to a donation by Texas-based Green Mountain Energy Company. Green Mountain and the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce today began installing a 9.6 kilowatt (kW) solar array on the rooftop of the Chamber’s new headquarters. The installation will be one of the few solar arrays in Waco. The new Chamber building will open June 6 and is located at 101 S. Third St. at Heritage Square. Officials from the Chamber, Green Mountain and Waco Mayor Virginia DuPuy were on hand for today’s groundbreaking event.
The Green Mountain Energy® Solar at the Waco Chamber of Commerce is expected to be completed in July. The solar facility will be built with 48 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels that will be mounted on the building’s roof. These panels convert sunlight into electricity, producing 9.6 kW of clean energy. When completed, the solar array will be nearly 720 square feet and will offset approximately 6.5 percent of the building’s annual electrical usage.
This solar array will also offset more than 26,500 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2). To put this in perspective, that’s as much CO2 emissions avoided as more than 1,500 trees would absorb in one year. It is also equivalent to recycling more than 65,000 aluminum cans and more than 10,500 pounds of newspaper. The solar panels are being installed by Texas-based Standard Renewable Energy.
Additionally, a display will be located in the Chamber explaining how the solar array works and how it contributes to the building’s energy efficiency.
Green Mountain is funding the Chamber’s new solar array through its Big Texas Sun Club®, a program in which Green Mountain’s Texas customers can choose to support solar energy installations in Texas by paying an additional $5 on their monthly Green Mountain Energy® electric bill, for information, click here. To date, 12 solar projects have been built in Texas thanks to the Big Texas Sun Club. With this 13th installation, Green Mountain’s Big Texas Sun Club will be responsible for creating nearly 146 kW of new solar energy capacity in Texas since 2002. Austin-based Green Mountain is Texas’ only electric provider dedicated to cleaner electricity.
“The Greater Waco Chamber is pleased to accept this generous grant from Green Mountain Energy Company, which makes it possible for us to use solar energy to power our building,” said Chamber President James G. Vaughan Jr. “We are proud to incorporate photovoltaic solar panels into our design and to set the standard for innovative ways to utilize cleaner, renewable technologies.”
“Green Mountain Energy Company is proud to partner with the Waco Chamber to build this new solar array and help make downtown Waco greener,” said Paul Markovich, senior vice president, Residential Services, for Green Mountain. "Building this solar facility supports our mission to change the way power is made.”
The Chamber is seeking to be the first LEED© (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building in Greater Waco. LEED is a program of the U.S. Green Building Council that recognizes building owners for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. The solar array will earn the building a possible LEED point based on the percentage of annual savings. Construction began on the new headquarters in April 2007. The 14,000-square-foot building is the first in a three-block, $60 million mixed-use development downtown. The building is funded through the Challenge Greater Waco Campaign and will be owned by the Waco Chamber of Commerce Community Development Foundation.
About Green Mountain Energy Company
Green Mountain, the nation’s leading provider of cleaner energy and carbon offset solutions, began in 1997 with a simple idea: “to change the way power is made.” The company offers consumers and businesses the choice of cleaner electricity products using renewable sources such as wind, water and solar that help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted into the air. Green Mountain customers have collectively helped avoid over 4.1 million tons of CO2 emissions .
About the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber is a voluntary association of businesses, professionals and individuals working together to build a healthy business environment, promote economic development and work effectively to improve the quality of life in the Greater Waco area.
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