Dedication ceremony and celebration for solar array held today at non-profit’s facility in Third Ward
HOUSTON – Jan. 24, 2009 — Workshop Houston has a lot to celebrate today. The non-profit organization that provides after school programs to Houston youth is now being powered partly by solar energy, while helping to promote the benefits of renewable energy. Green Mountain Energy Company (Green Mountain) and Standard Renewable Energy (SRE) donated and funded a solar array for Workshop Houston. The photovoltaic (PV) solar panels are mounted on the facility’s roof, where they are visible from the street.
Green Mountain’s Super Earth mascot, along with representatives from Green Mountain, SRE, Workshop Houston, the City of Houston, members of the community and local donors were on hand today to officially “flip the ceremonial switch” of the solar array. Workshop Houston is located at 3615 Sauer St. in the Third Ward.
The Green Mountain Energy® Solar at Workshop Houston is 2.26 kilowatts (kW) and is expected to produce approximately 4,454 kWh of electricity per year by converting sunlight into electricity. The solar array consists of 11 Kyocera 205 solar panels, will provide approximately 13 percent of the facility’s annual electrical power requirements and covers nearly 165 square feet of roof space. These panels will offset approximately 5,900 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year, the equivalent of planting 354 trees or not driving 6,554 miles annually.
Green Mountain donated the solar panels through its Big Texas Sun Club® program and SRE funded the installation costs.
“We are thrilled that Green Mountain Energy Company and Standard Renewable Energy donated this solar array to Workshop Houston,” said Seth Capron, Co-Founder of Workshop Houston. “The solar array will help us save money on our electricity costs, reduce our carbon footprint, and promote renewable energy in the surrounding community. This is an exciting example of Houston businesses and the community teaming up to make our community and environment better.”
Green Mountain’s Big Texas Sun Club is a unique program in which the company’s Texas customers can choose to support solar energy installations in Texas by paying an additional $5 on their monthly Green Mountain Energy® electricity bill (for information, visit https://www.greenmountainenergysunclub.com/about/). To date, 14 solar projects have been built in Texas thanks to the Big Texas Sun Club. With this installation, Green Mountain’s Big Texas Sun Club has been responsible for creating almost 150 kW of new solar energy capacity in Texas since 2002. Austin-based Green Mountain Energy Company is Texas’ only electric provider dedicated to cleaner electricity.
“Donating the solar panels to Workshop Houston provided Green Mountain with another great opportunity to give something back to the Houston community, where we have been doing business since 2001," said Mark Lamping, vice president of Sales for Green Mountain Energy Company. "Building this solar facility supports our mission to change the way power is made and help promote the benefits of cleaner energy.”
Standard Renewable Energy is a premier provider of integrated energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions for homes and businesses. SRE donated the installation costs of the solar array. This is the 4th solar array SRE has installed for Green Mountain Energy Company and the Big Texas Sun Club.
"Green Mountain Energy and SRE have completed several projects together including the Waco Chamber of Commerce, Dallas Museum of Nature and the Houston Zoo. We are proud to work together to further the education of renewable energy,” said Jordan Fruge, senior vice president of Business Development for SRE. "The donation of this solar array is another way we are fulfilling our mission of educating Houstonians about the benefits of renewable energy and the important role it will play in our future."
SRE also offers Green Mountain Energy® customers in the Houston area discounts on energy-efficiency services such as heating and air conditioning maintenance and home energy audits. For more information, visit www.sre3.com/greenmountain.
This is the first of 10 solar arrays that Green Mountain expects to donate and install around Texas in 2009 through the Big Texas Sun Club, totaling almost 50 kW of new, pollution-free power.
About Workshop Houston
Workshop Houston builds the foundations for empowered communities through creative and enriching activities for youth. Workshop Houston has five shops that provide creative, technical and educational resources: the Third Ward Bike Shop (do-it-yourself bike repair), the Chopper Shop (welding and metal fabrication), the Beat Shop (hip-hop music production), the Style Shop (fashion design) and the Scholar Shop (academic support and tutoring). Our programs use hands-on project and dynamic collaborative processes to create an environment in which youth explore new knowledge and power on their own terms. For information, visit www.workshophouston.org.
About Green Mountain Energy Company
Green Mountain, the nation’s leading provider of cleaner energy and carbon offset solutions, was founded in 1997 “to change the way power is made.” The company is the longest serving green power marketer in the U.S. and was ranked the highest in residential customer satisfaction with retail electric service in Texas by J.D. Power and Associates. Green Mountain offers consumers and businesses the choice of cleaner electricity products from renewable sources such as wind and water and carbon offset products through its BeGreen division (BeGreenNow.com). Green Mountain customers have collectively helped avoid over 4.1 million tons of CO2 emissions. For more information, visit GreenMountain.com.
About Standard Renewable Energy
Standard Renewable Energy was formed in 2006 to provide consumers with solutions to make energy efficiency technologies and renewable energy easy to use. Standard provides a comprehensive energy solution for residential and light commercial customers with a presence in four states throughout the country: Texas, Colorado, Florida and Oklahoma. Standard Renewable Energy's products are technology and vendor agnostic. For more information, visit www.sre3.com.
Contacts
Kelly Wright, 713.269.4043
Seth Capron, 713.807.7911
Marci Grossman, 480.502.8100
