Sapa supplies major rooftop solar installation

Sapa Extrusions Renewable Energy Organization, Pittsburgh, has supplied extruded aluminum components for Michigan’s largest solar PV installation, a 15,000 square foot solar panel rooftop at Louis Padnos Iron & Metal Company in Wyoming, MI. The 149.46 kW DC system is comprised of 636 PV modules manufactured by Sharp Electronics Corporation. Under a solar energy pilot initiative, Padnos will continue selling energy through 2022 to Consumers Energy, Inc., the Jackson, MI based utility supplying the company. At plants in Portland, OR and Connersville, IN, Sapa Extrusions manufactured the custom aluminum PV module mounting system, which included recycled aluminum content. The OASIS (Open Architecture Solar Integration System) PV mounting product was designed and developed by Perpetual Power LLC (P2) of Livermore, CA. The system is now available to selected integrators and contractors for best-in-class PV generators for both rooftop and ground-mount applications. Mike Huber, Product Engineering Manager at Perpetual Power, commented on the relationship with Sapa. “With their nationwide capabilities, Sapa provided us a cost-effective, one-stop source for extrusion and further fabrication of our highly engineered system. During product development, Sapa shared valuable insight into their extrusion capabilities and worked diligently to capture our design intent. That allowed P2 to create a PV mounting system with tangible benefits in the areas of strength-to-weight ratio, cost and ease of installation. Sapa also offers vast scalability and multiple manufacturing sites as the PV market continues to expand.” General contractor and developer of the $1.25 million Padnos project was Cascade Renewable Energy a division of Cascade Engineering, Inc., Grand Rapids, MI. Electrical engineering design and related electrical components were provided by Blue Oak Energy of Davis, CA. Additional electrical design and installation was provided by Swanson Electrical Services, Grant, MI. Further information can be found at www.sapagroup.com