By Daniel P. Bearth, Staff Writer
This story appears in the Dec. 5 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.
Two freight transportation firms — one in California and one in Michigan — are tapping solar energy to provide electrical power for their operations.
The Dependable Cos., a multimodal freight transportation and warehousing firm, said it has begun generating electricity from what is believed to be the largest solar photovoltaic system ever installed anywhere in the world on an industrial high-rise building.
The 1.2-megawatt system consists of 5,300 solar panels mounted on the roof of Dependable’s five-story, 1.5 million-square-foot corporate headquarters and distribution center in Los Angeles.
On a smaller scale, B&B Trucking, a contract mail carrier based in Kalamazoo, Mich., recently turned the switch on an installation of 88 solar panels.
B&B’s panels are mounted on an overhead truck shelter and will be used, in part, to supply electricity for block heaters used to keep truck engines from freezing in winter, said Josh Porter, vice president of operations.
The power produced by the system runs the electric meter backward and generates renewable energy credits that can be sold to generate revenue, said project manager Mike Linsea of Solar Winds Power Systems in Kalamazoo, Mich.
Porter said his company also looked into the feasibility of wind power, but concluded that the amount of power from such a system would not be enough to compensate for the cost of maintaining it.
On the other hand, Porter said advances in technology have made solar panels much more durable and long-lasting. “Maintenance is next to nothing,” he said. “There are no moving parts.”
Ron Massman, chief executive officer of the Dependable Cos., said he is hopeful that his company’s project will encourage other businesses “to look for ways to reduce their carbon footprint.”
“We are excited to share this day with our colleagues, the local community and the project partners who brought our solar goals to life,” Massman said in a ceremony marking the project’s completion on Nov. 17.
Premier Power Renewable Energy, based in El Dorado Hills, Calif., provided engineering and construction services for the project, and Jinko-Solar Holding Co. Ltd., a company based in China, manufactured the solar panels.
To offset some of the project’s $5.4 million cost, Massman said Dependable will receive a 30% tax credit from the federal government and a grant from the local utility company, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
“In the long run, it will generate a return on investment,” Massman said. “In the short term, we’re trying to do things that aid in sustainability.”
The building was constructed in 1972 as a distribution center for Sears, Roebuck & Co. Dependable Cos. bought the property in 1993 and uses it for offices and freight storage. The building also serves as the primary less-than-truckload distribution hub for Dependable Highway Express.
DHE provides LTL and truckload freight transportation and port drayage, warehousing and logistics services. Other Dependable divisions provide transportation to and from Hawaii and Guam and air and ocean freight forwarding services.
