Green Business Means Business

By Noreen Lewis Cochran, ©2010 NeighborNewspapers.com
ncochran@neighbornewspapers.com

Excerpt of 27 Jan 2010 article that appeared in the Northside Neighbor Newspaper and at NeighborNewspapers.com

The roof over northwest Atlanta-based Advantage Laser Products Inc. on Marietta Boulevard is working as hard as its employees to make the world a greener place.

Last week the company installed a 22-kilowatt grid of 130 photovoltaic panels, made by Fremont, Calif.-based Solyndra Inc., to convert the sun’s rays into electricity.

“We’re a recycling company. We recycle toner cartridges for laser printers, so we try to be as green as we can,” said Marvin Masson, vice president of operations.

The installation is the latest in a series of energy conservation efforts utilizing the 15,000-square-foot structure’s roof.

Read the rest of the article >>> GO

Advantage Laser Products Signs with Empower Energy for Solyndra Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Energy System

Atlanta, Georgia – December 29, 2009 – Advantage Laser Products, Inc. (ALP) has agreed to a 22-kilowatt photovoltaic (PV) energy system designed and installed by Empower Energy Technology, LLC (read the project overview). Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, ALP currently maintains a 20-year reputation as an environmentally responsible company through its extensive work in the re-manufacturing and recycling of toner cartridges used in many laser printers.

Read the Advantage Laser Products Blog post about this exciting project – click here.

ALP’s executives chose to invest in clean solar energy for their headquarters and operations center, because it will provide them a strong financial return and a hedge against rising electricity rates.

Marvin Masson, one of three ALP founders and owners, likes his company’s decision to bring solar energy online and stated, “For several years, ALP management has been researching the use of solar energy for our facility, and Empower Energy showed us how the new financial incentives and new technology have improved to the point that this makes business sense for Advantage, both in the short- and long-run.”

Empower Energy Technology designed a rooftop system for Advantage employing novel solar panels from California-based Solyndra, Inc. Solyndra makes solar PV equipment which optimize performance by converting more of the sunlight hitting a commercial rooftop into electricity.

“Advantage Laser Products is the ideal customer for this technology,” said Tom Tomaka, Director of Clean Technology for Empower Energy. “Solar energy makes sense for them financially, and Solyndra’s cylindrical module system allowed us to overcome certain installation challenges that a conventional crystalline PV module and mounting system would have created.”  Tomaka continued, “Unlike conventional PV modules, Solyndra’s cylindrical modules will capture both direct and reflected sunlight from the white surface of Advantage Laser Products’ roof, turning it into clean electricity used to power Advantages’ manufacturing equipment and office lighting.”

Empower will mount the Solyndra panels horizontally and pack them closely together, providing more electricity than a conventional panel installation and conserving space for future expansion of the solar PV system. The Solyndra panels and mounting system are lightweight, allowing them to be installed without the need to reinforce ALP’s roof.

“This is only a start in what we at Advantage Laser Products view as a comprehensive energy management strategy.” said Masson. “Our goal is to exercise more control over our energy costs and turn the free sunlight that gets delivered to our roof into added profits for our business.”

About Advantage Laser Products, Inc.:
Advantage Laser Products is a manufacturer of toner cartridges, specializing in re-manufacturing or recycling toner cartridges for check printing (MICR) and check printing supplies including HP MICR laser printers and check paper.
http://www.advlaser.com/

About Solyndra:
Solyndra designs and manufactures photovoltaic systems, comprised of panels and mounting hardware, for the commercial rooftop market. Solyndra employs high volume manufacturing based on proven technologies and processes to meet the needs of the global solar market. Using proprietary cylindrical modules and thin-film technology, Solyndra systems are designed to provide the lowest cost of electricity on commercial rooftops by delivering the lowest total systems costs per watt and the highest kilowatt hour production per rooftop for typical installations. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Fremont, California, Solyndra operates a state-of-the-art 300,000 square foot fully-automated manufacturing complex.
http://www.solyndra.com/

About Empower Energy Technology, LLC:
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Empower Energy Technology serves the needs of commercial and institutional clients for energy management and supplemental power solutions based on conventional and clean energy sources. Empower is a certified solar photovoltaic systems installer and also designs and implements high-efficiency lighting. They serve customers in the greater metro Atlanta area and other major cities in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi.
http://www.empoweret.com/

Contact:
Tom Tomaka – tom.tomaka@empoweret.com
Clean Tech Business Director
Empower Energy Technology, LLC
http://www.empoweret.com/
Phone: 770-315-0675