Owens Corning and SunEdison Activate 440 Kilowatt PV Solar System in New Jersey

Owens Corning (NYSE:OC) and SunEdison announced the activation of a 440 kilowatt (kW) roof-mount photovoltaic (PV) solar system at Owens Corning’s Kearny, New Jersey facility.

SunEdison was awarded the first energy stimulus grant in the solar industry, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Toledo, Ohio-based Owens Corning is a global producer of residential and commercial building materials, glass-fiber reinforcements, and engineered materials for composite systems. A Fortune 500 company for 55 consecutive years, Owens Corning is committed to driving sustainability through delivering solutions, transforming markets and enhancing lives. Founded in 1938, Owens Corning is a market-leading innovator of glass-fiber technology with sales of $6 billion in 2008 and 16,000 employees in 30 countries on five continents.

SunEdison is North America’s largest solar energy services provider. The company finances, installs, and operates distributed power plants using proven photovoltaic technologies, delivering fully managed, predictably priced solar energy services for its commercial, government and utility customers. In 2008, SunEdison delivered more kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy than any other solar services provider in North America.

Under a long-term solar power services agreement, Owens Corning will use a PV solar system at its Kearny facility that is financed, constructed and to be maintained by SunEdison. The new system will produce more than 522,000 kWh of clean, solar energy in the first year of operation alone. SunEdison projects that over 20 years, the PV solar system in use at Kearny will produce more than 9.5 million kWh, enough energy to power 893 average U.S. homes for a year.

According to Frank O’Brien-Bernini, Owens Corning's chief sustainability officer, a critical part of the company’s sustainability strategy is greening its operations.

“By using a zero-emissions solar system, we’re continuing our long-term commitment to operate in ways that are environmentally safe and energy efficient,” O’Brien-Bernini said. “This solar installation is expected to offset nearly 14 million pounds of carbon dioxide over the life of the agreement.”

Owens Corning makes fiberglass and foam insulation products that significantly improve the energy efficiency of buildings. Homes and commercial buildings consume 40 percent of the world's energy, including more than 70 percent of the electricity in the United States. (To get training to make your home or commercial building more energy efficient go here:

Owens Corning is also the largest manufacturer of reinforcements used in the production of blades for wind turbines, a growing source of renewable energy,

According to Brian Jacolick, general manager, North America, for SunEdison, the Owens Corning Kearny facility raises the profile of solar adoption in the United States.

“The company’s forward-thinking view of solar serves as a model for businesses who want to control high energy costs while preserving the environment,” Jacolick said. “Owens Corning also takes the lead with this solar installation as one of the first sites to be funded by the Recovery Act’s Section 1603 (Grant-in-lieu of Investment Tax Credit). The grant is a great stimulus to solar adoption and renewable energy, and we are pleased that this first project was developed with an industry-leader like Owens Corning.”

PSE&G, New Jersey’s oldest and largest regulated gas and electric delivery utility, praised the partnership. Serving nearly three-quarters of the state’s population,  PSE&G is the winner of the ReliabilityOne Award for superior electric system reliability.

"In this challenging economy, PSE&G's $105 million solar loan program provides financing that removes risk for customers who want to install affordable and pollution-free solar systems," said Al Matos, PSE&G's vice president for renewables and energy solutions. "We have a huge challenge facing us in New Jersey if we’re going to meet the state’s renewables goals for the year 2020. It's going to take partnerships like this one, a partnership of developers, utilities and government working collectively to meet the goal. Owens Corning has stepped up, and we congratulate them on the completion of their first solar project."

Owens Corning’s Kearny facility produces roofing shingles, including Duration, Duration Premium and Oakridge products. The facility is located at 1249 Newark Turnpike in Kearny.