Grocery distributor to the military installs 108 kW solar energy system
WALPOLE, MA—MAY 27, 2015— Alder Foods, one the country’s largest suppliers to the military markets, today announced it has installed a 108 kilowatt (kW) solar energy system atop its Walpole facility in partnership with Solect Energy Development. The system is expected to save the company close to $25,000 in electricity costs annually, and a similar amount annually through Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SREC) credits.
Alder Foods sells nationally-branded food and perishable goods to the U. S. Military Commissaries located throughout the world. The company has become one of the top 30 companies selling worldwide to the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA).
Alder recently undertook a tune up of its HVAC system that heats and cools its 17,000-square-foot office facility in Walpole, but wanted to take its energy savings to the next level with solar. The solar energy system will help the company eliminate more than $2,000 a month in electricity bills, as well as generate a similar amount in SREC credits, helping Alder Foods achieve payback on the system in just a few years. SRECs are financial incentives based on the amount of solar energy a system generates. Electrical utility providers in Massachusetts purchase SRECs to help them meet their state-mandated goals of a percentage of power coming from renewable energy sources.
“The project had a great payback, so economically this was a great win for us,” said Ed Serpe, CFO of Alder Foods. “From a green perspective, it’s even better, and we feel good about doing our part for the environment. The team at Solect was great to work with, from top to bottom. It was a really easy experience.”
In 2011, Alder Foods was ranked 4th in Boston Business Journal’s Top 5 minority- and women-owned businesses. Since 2009, the Boston Business Journal has recognized Alder Foods in the Top 100 women-led businesses; and since 2010 Boston Business Journal has ranked Alder Foods as one of the largest minority owned–women led Business.
“Alder Foods is known in the industry for making smart decisions on the products and partners it chooses to do business with,” said Steve Bianchi, partner at Solect. “They quickly determined that solar would be a great investment choice that would generate a quick return as well as align with their company goal of improving the environment.”
