Eight gas station and convenience stores owned by Home Service Oil Company, along with its headquarters in the St. Louis, Missouri area are going solar. Real Goods Solar has been selected to design, install, monitor and maintain the solar power systems. When combined, the solar systems will provide an estimated 378 kW of power and generate nearly 478,000 kilowatt hours each year.

The project involves the deployment of solar power systems on the rooftop of the gas station and convenience stores. Construction is scheduled to begin in December 2013 and be completed in January 2014. This project marks the company’s entry into the fuel retail industry.

“Our selection of Real Goods Solar, a premier solar company in the country, to deploy solar energy at our locations will reduce our carbon footprint while generating significant electricity savings,” said Zach Mangelsdorf, director of real estate and development at Home Service Oil Company. “We see this as a smart investment and a great way to use renewable energy in our operations. We also expect these rooftop solar systems to inspire greater customer loyalty by the many environmentally conscious customers we serve.”

With the solar systems, the gas station and convenience store chain expects to reduce the facilities costs of electricity by at least $43,000 in the first year. This is expected to add up to more than $1 million over the next 25 years, while eliminating more than 18 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions or the equivalent of taking more than 1,757 cars off the road or not consuming 945,225 gallons of gasoline (per EPA-based data).

Justin Pentelute, Real Goods Solar’s president of residential and small commercial systems, added “This win demonstrates our capabilities to pursue new market segments which have significant regional and national growth potential. Not only are we successfully executing our growth strategies in residential, but we are also gaining traction in small commercial systems that represents a fast-growing part of the market. We are proud to work with Home Service Oil Company and applaud their decision to go solar to reduce their operating costs and their carbon footprint.”