Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 12:15:28 PM - by Nate Lew

In Denver, Colorado, where the mile-high altitude and about 360 days of sunny weather per year offer optimum conditions for solar energy, Nestlé Purina PetCare, a pet food manufacturing company, has taken steps to broaden its environmentally-friendly footprint.

The Denver plant has taken a number of steps over the years to improve its energy efficiency, including the installation of a new energy-efficient boiler – which reduced energy use by 12.4 percent per ton of product – upgrading to greater lighting efficiency, revamping compressed air and steam systems, and establishing protocols for increased operational efficiencies.

Now, the installation of a 467-panel photovoltaic (PV) system atop the roof the facility will provide 100 kilowatts of clean, renewable solar energy, or about one percent of the plant’s energy needs.

The system, developed by REC Solar, a leading California-based PV installer and integrator, covers about 21,000 square feet of rooftop, which Colorado Governor Bill Ritter called, “The latest evidence of Colorado’s dedication to solar energy”.

Ritter also highlighted Colorado’s leadership in the New Energy Economy, a Colorado program made possible by the passage of Amendment 37 in 2004, a renewable energy mandate that requires top Colorado utilities to derive six percent of their electricity production from said renewables by 2011, and a full 10 percent by 2015 – a goal later amended to 20 percent, and one regional utility Xcel Energy easily expects to achieve.

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter attended the May 14 unveiling of the system, which represents the state’s largest privately owned solar array. The system will effectively offset almost 300,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, or the equivalent of 23 cars. This project also makes Nestlé Purina PetCare the first pet food manufacturer in the nation to use solar energy in the production of dog and cat food.

The plant's solar project is a first for Nestlé Purina, but also a first for REC Solar in Colorado, marking as it does the first, large commercial-scale project the company has completed in the state. REC Solar, more commonly known as a residential solar installer offering grid-tied design and installation, partnered with Xcel Energy in the design and completion of the Nestlé Purina PetCare solar installation.

Successful completion of the project has prompted REC Solar to expand Colorado employment by 10 to 20 percent in anticipation of the renewable energy opportunities now provided under the $787-billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This stimulus is also expected to prompt other Colorado commercial and industrial producers to follow in the footsteps of Nestlé Purina PetCare by installing their own solar arrays.

To celebrate the launch of the new solar array, Nestlé Purina PetCare plans to donate more than 30 tons of dog and cat chow to the Metro Denver Shelter Alliance, a group of 23 organizations dedicated to animal welfare.