
PFMA member and sponsor GIANT Food Stores celebrated Earth Week this year in appropriate fashion.
The company cut the ribbon to mark completion of the first phase of its 2.4MW solar project at its Carlisle, Pa. support office, located at 1149 Harrisburg Pike.
The event, held April 25, attracted many dignitaries including Pennsylania Secretary of Environmental Protection Patrick McDonnell and state Rep. Barbara Gleim, as well as representatives from Enter Solar, the project’s developer, and PPL Electric.
“There’s no better time than Earth Week to celebrate this significant milestone in GIANT’S sustainability program and it’s especially gratifying to do so at our home office,” said Manuel Haro, vice president of strategy, GIANT Food Stores. “At GIANT, we strive to make every day Earth Day, and that’s why we continuously explore new and innovative ways to reduce our operational footprint. Our rooftop solar project is just one of many ways we are making good on the promise we made to the communities we serve - to be a good neighbor and do our part to protect and preserve the planet for future generations.”
The project began in December and acquired permission to operate in March. The rooftop solar project consists of 1,812 panels that convert sunlight into a flow of clean electricity that feeds directly to GIANT’s electrical system within its building. This provides an effective powering of a portion of the building’s energy needs from a renewable on-site source.
“Addressing climate change and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels will require commitments from companies like GIANT to take an active role in changing how we think about the energy we use,” Secretary McDonnell said. “Switching to renewable sources and increasing energy efficiency will both save the company money and improve the environment.”
In addition, GIANT announced the second phase of the project, a 1.83MW ground-mounted solar array, which is underway. That project includes an estimated 4,968 panels spanning nearly five acres of land at the corporate headquarters.
When completed, the entire solar system will offset 100 percent of the electricity needs of the Carlisle facility. The 2.4 MW system will produce more than 3 million kilowatt hours annually, providing both economic and environmental benefits to GIANT and the Carlisle community at large. The environmental benefits of the system will be equal to reducing 4,557,643 lbs of CO2, or powering 476 homes, annually.
The company cut the ribbon to mark completion of the first phase of its 2.4MW solar project at its Carlisle, Pa. support office, located at 1149 Harrisburg Pike.
The event, held April 25, attracted many dignitaries including Pennsylania Secretary of Environmental Protection Patrick McDonnell and state Rep. Barbara Gleim, as well as representatives from Enter Solar, the project’s developer, and PPL Electric.
“There’s no better time than Earth Week to celebrate this significant milestone in GIANT’S sustainability program and it’s especially gratifying to do so at our home office,” said Manuel Haro, vice president of strategy, GIANT Food Stores. “At GIANT, we strive to make every day Earth Day, and that’s why we continuously explore new and innovative ways to reduce our operational footprint. Our rooftop solar project is just one of many ways we are making good on the promise we made to the communities we serve - to be a good neighbor and do our part to protect and preserve the planet for future generations.”
The project began in December and acquired permission to operate in March. The rooftop solar project consists of 1,812 panels that convert sunlight into a flow of clean electricity that feeds directly to GIANT’s electrical system within its building. This provides an effective powering of a portion of the building’s energy needs from a renewable on-site source.
“Addressing climate change and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels will require commitments from companies like GIANT to take an active role in changing how we think about the energy we use,” Secretary McDonnell said. “Switching to renewable sources and increasing energy efficiency will both save the company money and improve the environment.”
In addition, GIANT announced the second phase of the project, a 1.83MW ground-mounted solar array, which is underway. That project includes an estimated 4,968 panels spanning nearly five acres of land at the corporate headquarters.
When completed, the entire solar system will offset 100 percent of the electricity needs of the Carlisle facility. The 2.4 MW system will produce more than 3 million kilowatt hours annually, providing both economic and environmental benefits to GIANT and the Carlisle community at large. The environmental benefits of the system will be equal to reducing 4,557,643 lbs of CO2, or powering 476 homes, annually.