Zimmerman Honda unveils solar power for their entire facility - KWQC
Zimmerman Honda unveils solar power for their entire facility
MOLINE, Iowa {KWQC} – Staff at Zimmerman Honda held a ribbon cutting to debut their solar powered facility on Thursday.
Members of the community were invited to see a replica of one of the 690 solar panels that are placed by Eagle Point Solar on top of the roof at the car dealership.
With an expected life capacity of 50 years, Zimmerman Honda staff and Eagle Point Solar are preparing for an electric future.
“As we look forward to that future with Honda, also being good stewards of the community, we decided to move forward with this array, which will cover 98% of our energy needs over the next 25 years,” said Zimmerman Honda Business Manager, Eric Waldman. “It’s a fantastic way, not only have some savings, but also be good stewards of our community and going forward as we move into our more electrified future.”
With Thursday’s unveiling, solar consultants were confident with the partnership with Zimmerman Honda.
“They listen,” said Eagle Point Solar Consultant, John Hutchcroft. “It’s just that simple. You know, it was one of those things that where two people who met at the right time. The savings on this project is just been tremendous. There’s incentives through state and federal that are available, especially here in Illinois. And Zimmerman’s was smart enough to take advantage of those incentives.”
While waiting in the service department, guests can see a live-monitored update of the solar panels. They can see how much solar is generated, how much CO2 emissions are being saved and overall production.
Hutchcroft is expecting a first-year electric bill savings of $27,226.
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Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: solar
Declining costs and government encouragement have resulted in a rapid increase in solar energy production in the United States over the past 10 years, although solar’s share remains small: 1.6 percent of all electricity generation in 2018. That rapid growth is projected to continue.