New solar power unit fires up energy grid
Torr Technologies 24-kilowatt array largest industrial generator in area
February 7, 2011
Holly Smith Peterson
Business Examiner
There’s a new super-hero in town.
One that’s poised to convert energy faster than a speeding bullet, give the region more power than a locomotive and be positioned upon tall buildings in a single bound.
Torr Technologies, an Auburn manufacturer of composites, laminating tools and hardware, recently began producing roof-mounted solar-powered electricity.
The company’s 24-kilowatt array is the largest industrial generator of solar power in Puget Sound Energy’s nine-county electric service area. A 24-kilowatt solar-power array can generate 100 percent of the net electricity needs of two typical single-family homes.
“By putting photo-voltaic panels on big, flat empty roofs like ours, it’s a way that small businesses can give back to the environment,” said Torr co-owner Greg Lindstrom. “Our project has created quite a buzz with our customers and suppliers.”
The project began in July 2009 when, after a summer heat wave of several 100-plus degree days, the Torr facility became overheated despite the use of fans and air currents.
Lindstrom began exploring energy-efficient cooling systems for the building. After hitting on the solar energy idea, the company added other energy-efficient upgrades, including fiberglass windows and doors, new insulation, ductless heat pumps with air-to-air thermal exchanges and an electric car charging station.
The solar system also qualifies the company for tax credits and rebates.
“We get a nice check from PSE for the energy we produce and send back to the grid,” he said. “And in addition to these direct monetary paybacks, we also get a more comfortable work environment.”
Both business and residential customers of Puget Sound Energy receive financial incentives to help defray the costs of solar installations, including a 30 percent federal tax credit.
Also, a “net metering” program lets those on the PSE grid bank excess energy credits when they produce more electricity than they use — during summer, for example, when less heat and light are needed. During winter, customers can use the credits to offset spikes in costs for lighting and heating.
At the state level, the Renewable Energy Advantage Program pays customers for every kilowatt of solar power produced, based on a sliding scale that also rewards them for purchasing Washington-made solar components.
Depending on the customer’s ratio of equipment manufactured in Wasington, payments can range from 15 cents to 54 cents per kilowatt hour.
So far, around 700 PSE business and residential customers have connected solar-energy systems to the utility’s grid. Their total generating capacity is about 3 megawatts, or 40 percent of the state’s total solar-power production.
In addition to the solar-power boom, the PSE grid also includes 37 customers who take power from micro-hydro or wind-sourced energy.
The surge in alternative energy sources includes 72 small business and residential renewable-energy systems in Thurston County, 25 in Pierce County and 204 in King County.
Writer Holly Smith Peterson can be reached at hpeterson@BusinessExaminer.com.
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