WATERBURY, VT — Green Mountain Coffee Roasters completed the installation of a 572-panel solar array on the roof of its Waterbury distribution center this summer.
The 100 kilowatt solar energy system was constructed through a partnership between Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, the State of Vermont's Clean Energy Development Fund and Green Mountain Power, a utility that provides a quarter of the state's electricity. Green Mountain Power has now achieved 25 percent of its goal of installing 10,000 panels in 1,000 days in the state.
"In addition to generating clean electricity for use in our facility, the array also demonstrates the feasibility of solar panels as a viable solution for producing power in Vermont," Paul Comey, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters' vice president of environmental affairs, said in a statement Thursday.
A live information stream of the energy being produced by the solar array is available at http://grosolar.kiosk-view.com/gmcr.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters also offers its employees group discounts on solar power systems through a green benefits program with groSolar. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters donates $1,000 toward a participating employee's solar electric system, which also receives a $0.25 per watt installation discount from groSolar.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters announced earlier this year its plans to award $800,000 in grants to four nonprofits working to address climate change in four areas: transportation, building political will, individual empowerment, and threats to coffee-growing communities.
In addition to its strides making its operations more efficient, the company has been something of a darling of the investment community due to its healthy financial performance. Its most recent quarterly report included a 61 percent increase in revenue and 123 percent boost in profits. The company took the 11th place on Fortune's annual list of fastest-growing companies.
Photo CC-licensed by Flickr user Pink Dispatcher.