SALINAS, CA and DALLAS, TX – Expanding its commitment to renewable energy, premier producer of value-added produce and fresh foods, Taylor Farms, announced the completion of a massive solar installation at their new prepared fresh foods facility in Dallas.
The roof mount array spans almost four acres, contains 3520 panels, and generates more than one megawatt of power daily—enough energy to power more than 150 homes, according to a company press release. The system is one of the largest commercial solar installations in Texas and will offset approximately 17 percent of the facility’s power needs.
“We are excited to unveil our first, large scale, energy project outside of California. This is an important step for Taylor Farms in taking our sustainability initiatives nationwide.” said Nicole Flewell, Director of Sustainability, Taylor Farms. “We are very pleased by the success we’ve had working alongside our Texas partners in making this project possible.”
Taylor Farms will host an event inaugurating the project featuring a welcome speech by Flewell, and including guest speakers Jeff Reed, Senior Program Manager at ONCOR Energy and Ralph Ynostrosa, VP of Operations for Taylor Farms Texas.
In conjunction with Dallas-based energy distributor ONCOR’s Solar Program Taylor and support from energy provider MP2, Taylor Farms began construction on the project in mid-September and completed the project this month.
“ONCOR is pleased to partner with Taylor Farms, and all of our participants, to successfully install and implement solar systems,” said Jeff Reed, Senior Program Manager at ONCOR Energy Efficiency. “Energy efficiency is important to our business customers and to make sure we can help meet their needs, we offer several energy efficiency programs. These programs provide incentives that assist them in installing a solar system to reduce their energy consumption and contribute to positively impact the environment.”
Taylor Farms’ Dallas facility began construction in February of last year. The site features 200,000 square feet of production space, employs 1,100 people, and will provide the company’s growing customer base with an array of new products including sandwiches, wraps, meat and cheese trays, fruit cups, and other value-added snack options.
The new solar array is the eighth major sustainability project Taylor Farms has undertaken in the U.S.; other projects include solar, wind, cogeneration, and water recycling projects.
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