LE GRAND, CA--(Marketwired - May 25, 2016) - Live Oak Farms, a fourth generation family owned grower/packer/shipper of California-grown tomatoes and peppers, has announced the completion of their 632 kilowatt (kW) DC solar array in Merced County, California. This system is a ground-mounted system with 2,040 solar panels and designed to offset 100% of the kilowatt hour (kWh) electricity load of eight aggregated meters for Live Oak's irrigation usage.
The newly installed system is actually an expansion of a previously installed 272 kW roof-mounted system by Cenergy Power for Live Oak Farms in 2011. The initial roof-mounted system was designed to offset the majority of electric load from Live Oak's packing/shipping facility in Le Grand.
The latest expansion along with the initial system brings Live Oak's total solar capacity to 904 kW DC, solar production to over 1.35 million kWh annually, and brings Live Oak Farms one giant step closer to energy independence and progresses their determined goals towards a more environmentally sustainable future. The environmental equivalences attributed to the two systems combined equate to the following totals annually: (i) eliminating 2 million lbs. of CO2 from the earth's atmosphere, (ii) removing 200 cars from the road or (iii) reducing 340 tons of waste sent to landfills.
"We at Live Oak are sincere about our sustainability efforts and therefore constantly find ways to improve our best practices and further reduce our carbon footprint," says Bob Giampaoli, Chief Executive Officer and third generation farmer at Live Oak Farms. "After verifying several years of solar production from our existing system, it proved to be on track. We are extremely pleased with our partnership with Cenergy Power and hope to expand further as we continue to grow at Live Oak Farms."
"This expansion is yet another example of Live Oak's continued commitment to the environment and sustainable farming practices," said Bill Pham, CEO of Cenergy Power. "We have been impressed with Live Oak's sensitivity to their carbon footprint and so we're pleased to deliver this solar expansion that will benefit their company both environmentally and economically."
About Live Oak Farms (www.liveoakfarms.com)
Live Oak Farms is a diversified family farm that grows and packs mature green and vine ripened tomatoes, roma tomatoes and bell peppers in Le Grand, CA. The Giampaoli family has been stewards of their agricultural land since 1929 when the founding family members grew tomatoes and packed them under the shade of a Live Oak tree, the company's namesake. Currently, Live Oak Farms grows on more than 3,000 acres of farmland located primarily in Merced County. In addition to its main crops, Live Oak Farms also grows almonds, alfalfa, wheat, corn and other rotational crops to diversify and compliment the company's fruit and vegetable production.
About Cenergy Power (www.cenergypower.com)
Cenergy Power is a leading solar integrator delivering unmatched value to commercial, agricultural and utility customers throughout the US. Based on installed capacity and year after year growth, Cenergy is the only commercial solar contractor to rank "Top Ten" in North America consecutively since 2013 by Solar Power World, a leading solar industry publication, Cenergy is comprised of seasoned professionals in the areas of power engineering, construction management and project financing. Cenergy's integrated capabilities provide businesses with an annual internal rate of return on their clean power investments of up to 25%.
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Contact Information:
Jessica Taylor
Business Development/Marketing Coordinator
jtaylor@cenergypower.com
(760) 603-1933
Ed Beckman
COO Live Oak Farms
ebeckman@Liveoakfarms.com
(209) 389-4576
