October 16, 2009

Sacramento, CA, USA: Plastic Package Inc Goes Solar

Plastic Package Inc., a Sacramento, California manufacturing company, is now forming plastic using solar power. Already a significant manufacturer of green 100% post consumer recycled plastic containers, Plastic Package, Inc. has committed to using power from the sun in its manufacturing processes.

The New PV System at Plastic Package Inc

The company has selected an innovative solution by installing the largest cylindrical thin film solar system west of New Jersey. This cutting edge technology produced by Solyndra, a Bay Area company recently funded by a $535 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy, will be installed by Premier Power Renewable Energy of El Dorado Hills.

The new 208 kW system being installed on the roof will initially handle all of Plastic Package’s peak demand and assist its local power provider, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) in reducing its summer peak loads during the hottest part of the day.

Solyndra has devised the cylindrical modules that enable its solar panels to capture sunlight over a 360-degree photovoltaic surface. "If you build a better solar panel, the world will beat a path to your door," U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said. "Building a better solar panel is what Solyndra has done. Compared to traditional solar panels, these innovative thin-film systems produce more energy for less money and less hassle."

This fact was not lost on Jim Kaye, Plastic Package Inc.’s Chairman, and Jennifer Kaye, the company President. The Kayes had done their homework over the last couple of years in researching solar technologies and investigating solar integrators that could provide them with a packaged solution that would help them to offset their increasing electrical consumption as their business grew. When they heard about the advantages of Solyndra they were ready to make the decision to go solar, and they chose Premier Power as the Integrator.

“The plastics business is not normally thought of as a green business”, said Jim Kaye, “but we are making major strides in that direction by using recycled soda bottles as well as bio-based materials in our products. Now that we’ve added solar, we want to let the community and our clients know, so they can feel comfortable that when they use our packaging, they are part of the sustainable process”.

Further details about: Premier Power and Solyndra