A solar-electric energy installation set to be completed before year’s end will enable PennFleet Corporation to perform 100 percent of its customer truck repairs using the power of the sun, the company announced Tuesday.
PennFleet is a provider of collision repair services, mechanical services and roadside emergency response for the commercial trucking industry. The company says it will use more than 500 roof-mounted solar panels and five inverters to convert sunlight to electricity.
Installed by Paradise Energy Solutions of Paradise, Pa., the new system will generate enough kilowatt hours in its first year of production to cover 102 percent of the company’s annual power usage. Power generated by the new system during its first year of operation will offset the equivalent of 152 tons of CO2. Solar energy is completely renewable, and unlike coal, oil or natural gas, does not release greenhouse gas emissions.
“We’re always looking for ways to reduce our environmental impact. We care about how we treat the planet just like we care about how we treat our people,” says Jim Kolea, president at PennFleet.
Work began on the project in November and is expected to be completed around the first week of December. PennFleet says the new system will function for at least 25 years and reduce the company’s dependence on the traditional power grid to near zero. The company works to shrink its environmental footprint in all aspects of operation, from recycling used solvents, batteries and tires to turning waste oil into a heat source.
