RUTLAND PRIUS DEALER CARRIES GREEN CONCEPT
Alderman’s Toyota has installed a 39.6 kW solar PV array and owner Phil Alderman says they are just following their vision statement.
“’Thoughtful use of our planet’s resources’ as well as ‘good community citizenship’ set the road map for sustainable choices. When you’ve made a commitment to these ideals, investing in solar energy is an easy choice. And the folks at Same Sun made it pretty doable.”
Same Sun of Vermont, founded by Rutland town residents Philip and Marlene Allen, installs solar power systems for homes and small businesses. Same Sun’s project manager Phil Parrish designed and oversaw the system’s installation.
ALDERMAN TOYOTA SOLAR PV INSTALLATION Array: 180 modules each is 220-watt Solarworld (SW 220 Poly) 3 Fronius IG-Plus 11.4-3 Delta Inverters Array = 39.6kW DC, 34.2kW AC PVWatts estimates the array will generate 42,640 kwh per year
Alderman’s Toyota is the first Rutland business to take advantage of CVPS new net metering bonus which will pay the dealership an additional $0.06 per kilowatt hour for everything they produce.
System performance is monitored through software provided by Wattmetrics in Bethel. In addition, Same Sun installed a public kiosk at Toyota that displays the array’s production as well as educational information about solar energy.
Alderman took the step toward energy generation after looking to efficiency measures in his business. Installing a wall and an insulated door between the truck shop and the guest area reduced heat loss in the building when the large shop doors open during the winter.
Being a dealer for both Toyota and Chevrolet, Alderman carries the most energy efficient vehicles available at this time – both the Prius and the Chevy Volt. He says that relying on renewable energy dovetails with the move toward electric and hybrid vehicles.
Speculating as to whether other Rutland businesses will follow suit with renewable energy, Alderman showed no hesitation. “As the expression goes… Vermont was green, before green was cool. We’re certain that many businesses have already seen the light (pun intended) and have been thinking about where to put their solar panels.”
Alderman plans to continue to adopt renewables.“This is only the beginning of what is an ongoing pursuit towards a smaller environmental footprint. We have quite a few projects that are in the works, many of them with Same Sun of Vermont. Not to be a tease, but our upcoming state of the art Kia facility should be very exciting.”
The Alderman project may be viewed online at: https://services.wattmetrics.com/dashboard.aspx?siteId=277#/dashboard
Alderman’s Toyota is located at 33 Seward Rd.
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