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| McGrory Glass installed 2,782 USA-made Sharp solar panels at its New Jersey facility. |
The NetZero Energy Commercial Building Initiative,
launched in August 2008, is the Department of Energy’s Commercial Buildings
Program aiming to achieve marketable net zero energy commercial buildings
(NZEBs) by 2025. McGrory Glass Inc. based in Paulsboro, N.J., is one company
that has taken steps in that direction through its 100-percent solar-powered
facility, which results in net zero energy consumption, according to the
company.
“We care about our products and our employees, and it was
important for McGrory to lead by example and also give back to the environment
for the benefits it provides,” says Jim Gulnick, engineering director, McGrory
Glass. “As a result, we started thinking about how we can improve the company
on a larger scale, which led us to think about our facility and the impact it
has on the community and environment surrounding us.”
In 2007 McGrory Glass had relocated to a new facility,
moving its operations from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. “Every single one of our
employees came with us,” says Gulnick. “As we were about to invest in processes
that were becoming more and more energy dependent, we realized that we simply
didn’t want to become a big-carbon-footed user of energy. Investments in
facility, equipment, and solar energy production were investigated
simultaneously. It seemed that a natural synergy occurred when we looked at the
numbers.”
He continues, “Present and future facility and equipment
needs were projected along with the energy requirements to power the processes.
We didn’t simply look three or five years into the future, but we looked at 10,
15, 20 years and beyond.”
The company chose to install roof-mounted solar
panels–2,782 USA-made Sharp solar panels to be exact. The process took seven
months.
“We also installed a white heat-reducing roof with 6
inches of insulation, which increases the solar panel output by an additional 2
percent,” says Gulnick. “We knew if we wanted to go green we wanted to do it
right.” The company started up its new convection furnace the same day it
turned on the photovoltaic system in June 2012.
According to Gulnick, the company has seen a number of
benefits since becoming solar powered.
“The fact that we create and use our own energy is
exceptionally rewarding,” he says. “It’s a daily reminder that we’re not only
producing what we consume, but ultimately producing more than we consume, and
are able to share some of our power with the neighboring community, allowing
PSE&G to burn less fossil fuel.”
Since installing the panels the company has produced more
than 2gWh of energy. “That’s the equivalent of operating a TV for almost
600,000 days straight,” Gulnick says.
Being solar-powered, though, is only part of McGrory’s
green efforts. For example, it works to reuse shipping crates for multiple
shipments, “but when they start to show wear, or are of a unique custom size,
we disassemble the crates and put them in our [community] free wood pile,
located at the main entrance of our facility,” says Gulnick. “The wood is
completely untreated, making it ideal firewood. We also put out fully assembled
pallets in the event that someone would like to use full pieces to create furniture,
or other wooden creations. The wood is free and available to anyone who is
willing to pick it up–which certainly beats paying for firewood or cutting it
down from the tree yourself.”
Also, instead of disposing broken or flawed pieces of
glass, the company will do one of two things.
“If the glass can be melted down and used again, we’ll do
just that. If the glass cannot be reused in that manner, we cut them down to
use for samples,” says Gulnick.
Also, during the renovation and construction of its sales
offices, energy-efficient lighting was installed throughout the offices and
showroom.
The path toward sustainability is one that requires a lot
of work and effort. Gulnick shares some advice for companies considering headed
in this direction.
“It’s absolutely worth the effort put in. Not only are
you improving your company, you’re improving your community and your planet as
a whole. There’s no step that’s too small, from recycling a plastic cup or turning
off a light, to installing 2,782 solar panels on your roof, everything has an
impact.
“The upfront costs of undertaking such a commitment often
scare people at first, but what they forget to take into account is that it
will pay for itself in a quarter of the time. You’re reducing– if not
erasing–your carbon footprint, and that’s worth a penny or two.”
Source: The
US Glass News Network
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