Project Overview
Green Applications is one of the largest printers and distributors of textile merchandise on the East Coast, with a 170,000 square foot manufacturing facility in the former American Press building in Gordonsville, Virginia. Sun Tribe designed and built a solar system that would help Green Applications save money but also position Green Applications as a leader in sustainable manufacturing. When it was built, the Green Applications solar system was the largest on-site Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) in Virginia history.
Dave Kilgore
“Leading manufacturers know that 21st century facilities can be effectively and efficiently powered by solar. Thanks to Sun Tribe, we’re well positioned to see financial savings and compete in a competitive marketplace.”
Project Highlights
Over 300 Jobs Created
Green Applications’ move to Orange County, VA with the goal of using renewable energy to power the facility brought over 300 jobs to Virginia.
VIRGINIASAVES™
Sun Tribe worked as a financial and regulator advisor to Green Applications, and helped the company enroll in the VIRGINIASAVES™ program – ensuring $0 in upfront costs.
802 Tons of Carbon Offset
Thanks to Sun Tribe and Green Applications’ solar project, the company was able to reduce its carbon footprint and offset 802 tons of CO2.
Sun Tribe’s 860kw solar system powers a modern manufacturing facility creating textiles shipped around the world.
“Projects like these are creating jobs of the future that will help grow local economies and create a better quality of life for families.”
More than 2,500 solar panels make it possible for Green Applications’ 300+ employees to do their jobs, thanks to reliable net-metered solar power.
“Environmental sustainability is a core value for us at Green Applications, and working with Sun Tribe has allowed us to make that value a reality while strengthening our business.”
More Details
A 21st Century Manufacturing Solution
According to the Virginia Manufacturers Association, manufacturing in Virginia is a big business – contributing more than $34 billion to the gross state product – and increasingly, Virginia manufacturing is solar powered.
As a national and regional manufacturing leader, Green Applications understood that innovation was an essential part of success, so it turned to Sun Tribe for a modern energy solution: a solar system that could serve as a strong foundation for their expanding business.
A full-scale, start-to-finish energy advisor and partner, Sun Tribe worked closely with Green Applications to understand their goals and individual challenges. In order to reduce the need for up-front capital, Sun Tribe guided Green Applications into the VirginiaSAVES™ – Virginia’s first statewide Green Community program. The result? Green Applications only pays for the energy it uses; an essential difference for the company’s bottom line.
Solar Supported Jobs
Green Applications’ investment in its Virginia manufacturing facility was significant: commitment to create over 300 local jobs. The company was occupying a building which had once served as one of Orange County, Virginia’s largest employers, and Green Applications took the responsibility of being an economic engine seriously. Today, it’s a building hosting a modern manufacturing facility powered by solar.
Sun Tribe designed, engineered, and built a solar system that provides Green Applications with 50 percent of the power it needs to run its Gordonsville, Virginia manufacturing facility, making it the largest on-site PPA project in Virginia at the time of its introduction – further proof that Sun Tribe is continually on the leading edge of solar innovations.
Read more about the Green Applications solar partnership with Sun Tribe in the Culpeper Star-Exponent, Solar Power World, and winning the 2018 MDV-SEIA Solar Innovation of the Year Award.
