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November 30, 2014 [CASE STUDY]
CLT 014 Maintenance and Properties
CLT 014 –Solar Panel Installation
(Green Initiative)
Situation:
Saia’s support for green initiatives is a key strategic goal within the company ‐
and is constantly being reviewed and considered alongside annual budget
planning associated with the Maintenance and Properties department.
Identifying strategic facilities that would most benefit by the implementation of
such projects is an ongoing directive. While the directive is clear, Saia’s duty to
invest its capital towards investments that will provide strong ongoing returns
are also considered, and make up a multi‐pronged approach in determining how
Saia can continue to lead the industry when it comes to environmentally‐friendly
business practices.
Solution:
Saia engaged a solar consultant to work in conjunction with the accounting
department to explore numerous locations and determine which property
would benefit Saia operations most by the application of solar panel technology.
Through this process Saia was able to identify ‐ due to available tax credits and
the size of the operation, along with its geographical location ‐ that Saia’s
operation located in Charlotte, NC would be at the top of the list when
considering the payback period of the investment. Saia took this
recommendation and developed a Request for Proposal to identify a vendor
who had the qualifications and price point that would meet Saia’s expectations.
End Result:
Through the RFP process Saia selected Brightergy, a full service energy company,
as our energy partner. With Brightergy’s assistance Saia was able to design and
construct a solar PV system which not only offset but exceeded Saia’s Charlotte,
NC facilities entire annual energy consumption requirement. For this reason,
Saia was advised to enter into a buy‐all sell‐all agreement with their energy
service provider to be able to benefit from the excess production. During the
process Saia also benefited from Brightergy’s discovery that the energy tariff
with which it had been paying its bill was outdated (due to a reduced
consumption rate caused by a previous green initiative involving energy efficient
lighting, which was performed in 2012). At Brightergy’s advice, Saia revised the
tariff to align with the most recent energy use information which led to an
annual estimated savings of $10,000 per year, and was not part of the initial
estimated ROI at the Charlotte facility. The project was completed in October of
2014 and Saia is continuing to explore other areas in the country for
opportunities to reduce and offset their energy consumption with green
alternatives.
Real Estate Manager: Jesse Kelley
Project Manager: Brett Rabe
Energy Partner: Brightergy
Location: Charlotte, NC
Use: Saia LTL Terminal
Project Statistics:
‐290 Kilowatt System
‐880 Solar Panel Array
‐Estimated 4.5 year ROI including
available tax credits and tax
depreciation
‐15‐ year energy service contract
utilizing buy‐ all/sell‐ all arrangement.
Energy/Environmental Statistics:
‐System is sized to offset 100% of power
consumption being utilized by Saia’s
Charlotte, NC operation
‐Annual energy production estimated at
over 430,000 KWH
‐Annual energy revenue estimate
exceeding $28,000.00
‐Enough electricity to power 805 60‐
watt light bulbs for 24‐hours‐a‐day 365‐
days‐a‐year
‐Enough clean power to eliminate 329
tons of carbon dioxide omissions
‐Electricity production equivalent of the
CO2 emitted from burning 600 gallons
of gasoline each week for an entire year
‐It’s like planting 245 acres of US forest
in one year