WATSONVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Granite Construction Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Granite Construction Incorporated (NYSE:GVA), announced today that it is a voluntary early adopter of California's Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32), with the installation of a 1-megawatt (MW) thin-film solar system at one of its central California construction materials facilities. The installation will reduce the facility's carbon footprint by more than 50 percent—an amount equivalent to powering more than 190 homes annually.
"We are very pleased to be one of the first construction companies in the nation to use clean energy to power our materials production facilities," said
James H. Roberts, Granite president and chief executive officer. "As part of our company's sustainability goals, we are committed to reducing energy emissions at our aggregate and asphalt plants."
The state's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions falls under AB 32, a state-mandated plan to achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. The mandate goes into effect on January 1, 2012.
Located in Coalinga, California, Granite's new 1 MW solar power plant is its largest net metering system constructed to date. Built using innovative technologies from Solar Frontier, eIQ Energy, Siemens, and Unirac, the 8-acre system comprises one of the most advanced thin-film net metering projects in the country today. Combined, the copper, indium, and selenium (CIS) thin-film solar panels, power management processes, and inverter controls are expected to reduce operational expenditures and increase overall efficiency.
"This Granite facility is a great example of how companies can incorporate renewable energy for operational needs and reduce their dependence on traditional energy sources," said
Greg Ashley, vice president and chief operations officer of Solar Frontier.
To date, Granite has built several net metering facilities in the West, including a 318-kilowatt (kW) system in Indio, California, and a 159 kW system in Tucson, Arizona. In addition, the University of Arizona commissioned Granite to build a 2 MW system at its Solar Technology Park. These projects provide Granite with valuable experience as a constructor of renewable-energy facilities as well as a developer and an ultimate end user.
About Granite
Granite Construction Incorporated is a member of the S&P 400 Midcap Index, the FTSE KLD 400 Social Index, and the Russell 2000 Index. Granite Construction Company, a wholly owned subsidiary, is one of the nation's largest diversified heavy civil contractors and construction materials producers. Granite Construction Company serves public- and private-sector clients through its offices and subsidiaries nationwide. In 2011 the company received the World's Most Ethical Companies designation from the Ethisphere Institute. For more information about Granite, please visit its website at www.graniteconstruction.com.
About Solar Frontier
Solar Frontier's mission is to create the most economical, ecological solar energy solutions on Earth—on the world's largest scale. Its proprietary CIS technology (for key ingredients copper, indium, and selenium) combines compelling economics and energy conversion efficiency today—and greater potential for tomorrow—with superior reliability, stability, sustainability, nontoxicity, design, and lower overall energy consumption in the manufacturing process to yield a faster energy payback time. Visit Solar Frontier's website at www.solar-frontier.com for more information.
Granite Construction Incorporated
Media Contact
Cara Douglas, 831-254-0494
Source: Granite Construction Company
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