Tuesday, August 30, 2011

OFM Celebrates One-Year Anniversary of Solar Farm With Plans to Expand - Furniture manufacturer to house one of the largest renewable energy sites in North Carolina

http://www.ofminc.com/news.asp
 This month office and school furniture manufacturer, distributor and wholesaler OFM is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the 250-kilowatt solar farm it installed on the rooftop of its headquarters in Holly Springs, N.C. last August. The company has since been producing more energy than it uses.

“We've been very happy with the success of this initiative which has certified us as carbon neutral and a renewable energy facility,” said Abel Zalcberg, co-founder and chief executive officer of OFM. “We are now planning to install another 250-kilowatt solar farm on the rooftop of our headquarters to be completed by the end of the year making ours the largest in the state through the Progress Energy SunSense Commercial Solar PV program.”  

OFM’s solar farm at present consists of 1,042 solar panels generating 322,500 kilowatts of energy each year which is sold to Progress Energy as part of its SunSense Commercial Solar PV program. This is a new initiative inspired by the North Carolina General Assembly, which mandates Progress Energy obtain three percent of its power from renewable energy sources in 2012 and up to 12.5 percent by 2021.

To watch a video of OFM’s solar farm project that was completed last August, go to:  http://youtu.be/y85Czw1Yf-g
In a separate correspondence Abel Zalcberg notes the following-
- The total cost to install the Solar Farm was $1,480,000.
- Subsidies provided include a government grant of $420,000, 100% depreciation in the first year, 35% State Tax credits and $60,000 per year from Progress Energy for the purchase of the energy created.
- The company is not using the energy they create, it is more profitable to sell it back.

OFM, Inc. http://www.ofminc.com Press Release dated August  2, 2011

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