Gatorade Gives Itself A Solar Boost

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gatoradelogo.jpgGatorade, the PepsiCo owned energy drink company, installed a 500-kilowatt solar power system on its 1.5-acre roof in Tulleson, Arizona, allowing it to cut power usage by 40 percent, writes AZCentral.com.

Installation began in June and finished in November.

Upon completion, it became the largest customer-owned solar-energy project in Arizona. It's already generating more energy than anticipated and Gatorade expects it to produce more than 783,000 kilowatt hours a year - enough to power 51 households.

SRP Solar, the utility company that installed the solar panels, provided a $1.2 million incentive through the EarthWise Solar Incentive Program, and Gatorade received $25,000 from a state credit and 30 percent of the total cost from federal credits.

The project will save the company about $51,000 a year in energy costs and - including incentives - will have about a four-year payback.

An increasing number of high-profile companies such as Gap, Hewlett Packard, Macy’s, and Toyota are switching to solar power.

Environment + Energy Leader