Food producers and manufacturers continue to harness the sun. Watsonville Coast Produce, based in Watsonville, California, has just gone online with a 739.2 kW solar power system to generate all the electricity needed to power its agricultural distribution facility. The 44,000 square foot warehouse has nearly 450,000 cubic feet of refrigerated space to house its organic produce before being shipped out to consumers.

The Solar Company assisted in the design and installation of the solar power system that is comprised of 2,400 SunPower panels. Estimated annual production is 1,094,576 kWh, powering a projected one year savings of $134,314 and 10 year savings of $1,770,367.

“We anticipate saving nearly $120,000 within the first year of production,” said Gary Manfre.