When operating at full capacity, the 6,400 ground-mounted high-efficiency photovoltaic panels can generate 1MW of AC energy for the Limoneira Company, which grows and processes lemons, avocados, oranges, specialty citrus, pistachios and cherries on its orchards in Santa Paula, Calif. Limoneira's solar electric system is expected to produce 2,000,000 kWh of electricity annually.

"This will be a signature installation for all parties involved," said Gina Heng, director of sales and marketing for Mitsubishi Electric and Electronics USA's Photovoltaic Division. "Besides the project's size and efficiency, it also incorporates many natural elements that make it one of the most earth-friendly solar systems to date."

The Limoneira installation includes native vegetation planted as a cover crop to minimize dust on the modules that could affect the system's performance. The system also includes an educational observation deck with a "green" roof above the power station for visitors to learn about solar energy.

According to Ely Key, Limoneira's special projects manager, the solar orchard took four months to construct and meets strict Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. "This project should offset the annual CO2 impact of 200 single-family homes," he said.

Key added that Limoneira chose to partner with Bay Area-based P2 because of its reputation for designing, building, installing and supporting best-in-class solar generation projects.

Perpetual Power designed and installed the 1.2MW DC solar electric system, creating a 5.5 acre solar orchard on its property that will supply a third of the company's current energy needs. The system uses Perpetual Power's P2 Oasis module integration system, which includes an option to adjust the tilt of the array seasonally to maximize power output.

"We have leveraged our investment banking and technical experience to engineer financial solutions that link facility/operations energy use to solar energy economics," said Marc Palamountain, founder of Perpetual Power. "Limoneira is a classic example of the cutting-edge sustainable projects that are coming on stream to help define how we live in the 21st century."

Early on, the project earned the support of the Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance. "The Alliance's mission is to develop and implement energy initiatives that support sensible growth, promote a healthy environment and economy, enhance our quality of life and lead to greater self-reliance," says Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long, who played a key role in its formation.

"By its own example, Limoneira has become one of the county's best advocates for renewable energy and a sustainable environment."

"By farming the sun, we're going to vastly reduce our energy costs," said Harold Edwards, Limoneira's president and CEO.

"That's especially important given how fast the price of power is rising. Clearly, this investment will continue to pay off for decades. And, we found yet another way to demonstrate that there's no conflict between sound business decisions and being an environmentally conscious, sustainable enterprise."

Related Links
Perpetual Power
All About Solar Energy at SolarDaily.com

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