The Toledo-based building materials company makes roofing shingles at its Kearny factory. Owens Corning partnered with SunEdison to develop the 440-kilowatt photovoltaic array, which will provide an estimated 522,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity in its first year of operation.
"This solar installation is expected to offset nearly 14 million pounds of carbon dioxide over the life of the agreement," said Frank O’Brien-Bernini, Owens Corning’s chief sustainability officer. Brian Jacolick, SunEdison general manager for North America, added that "[Owens Corning's] forward-thinking view of solar serves as a model for businesses who want to control high energy costs while preserving the environment."
SunEdison owns and operates the array. The solar service provider received a $992,000 grant from the Department of the Treasury for the Kearny project - the first grant under section 1603 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Section 1603 provides cash payments in lieu of tax credits for renewable energy projects, covering 30 percent of the cost of solar panel developments.
