A 961 kW solar array on the rooftop of Phoenix Contact’s U.S. headquarters will generate about 30% of the facility’s energy needs. Phoenix Contact partnered with Gatter & Diehl Consulting Engineers and Terrasol Energies Inc. to design the rooftop solar array. Phoenix Contact designed and installed the monitoring portion of the system, which features numerous Phoenix Contact products.

“We estimate this solar power installation will reduce our electricity costs by approximately $150,000 per year. While a smart business choice for us, reducing our company’s carbon footprint is more important in the long term,” says Jack Nehlig, president of Phoenix Contact USA. “Sustainability and renewable power generation are at the heart of Phoenix Contact’s vision for an all-electric society. This is one critical step on our journey to becoming a carbon-neutral company by 2030.”

Terrasol Energies Inc. also installed the solar array on the roof of Phoenix Contact’s Logistics Center for the Americas last year. The solar array consists of 2,185 SunPower photovoltaic panels, which can generate up to 961 kW. A $250,000 PEDA restart grant and a $270,000 grant from the PPL ACT 129 fund helped offset the $1.8 million investment into the solar array.

In 2014, Phoenix Contact installed a 1MW combined cooling heating and power (CCHP) facility. The system provides 65% of the facility’s energy needs and saves the company more than $300,000 annually. With the CCHP and the solar array, Phoenix Contact will generate enough energy to go off the grid on sunny days during the shoulder seasons (spring and fall).