Solar Project Spurred by Google’s Project Sunroof
XL SOLAR PARTNERS CONTRACTED TO BUILD ONE OF HOUSTON’S LARGEST ROOFTOP SOLAR SYSTEMS INSIDE LOOP
HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–XL Solar Partners, LLC. (XL Solar), a leading developer of renewable energy solutions for commercial and industrial projects, entered into an agreement for the installation of a commercial rooftop solar system with the FR8T Yard, a commercial office building located at 4245 Richmond Avenue in Houston, Texas. The project ranks among Houston’s largest commercial solar installations inside the 610 Loop and distinguishes the FR8T Yard as one of the area’s renewable energy proponents.
XL Solar, a Houston-based full service solar energy system provider designed the 250kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system with high efficiency, high output monocrystalline modules to maximize power generation on the project’s constrained land area. Encouraged by Google’s Project Sunroof—a solar power initiative to map the planet’s solar potential, which named Houston as the most promising city in the US for solar potential—the FR8T Yard’s rooftop system will soon offset much of its power consumption and operating costs while helping improve Houston’s environmental footprint.
In 2020, XL Solar began enhancing its presence in the Texas region, and this new installation will add another milestone for the company. “We are pleased to have been chosen to install this system for the FR8T Yard,” stated Xavier Perez, President of XL Solar. “We strive to support Houston’s rapidly growing renewable market by leveraging leading-edge technologies together with our years of industry experience in clean energy.”
This groundbreaking project aligns with Mayor Turner’s unwavering support for solar energy in Houston. Under his leadership, the City of Houston, a member of C40 Cities Global Climate Leadership Group, is now committed to purchasing 100% renewables. The city is currently the largest municipal user of renewable energy in the nation. And according to Project Sunroof, Houston is the number one opportunity for commercial and residential rooftops solar system in the US. According to Google’s scientists: “Houston has the most solar energy potential of any U.S. city with an estimated 18,940 gigawatt-hours of rooftop solar generation potential per year.”1
Consistent with the development’s objective for delivering fully renewable power, the FR8T Yard will now benefit from cleaner, more cost-efficient energy. “It’s encouraging to watch solar energy catching on for commercial uses in Houston,” stated Larry Atherton, President of the FR8T Yard development. “For years, homeowners realized benefit of solar to lower energy costs and help the environment, and we hope our system will inspire other businesses to install rooftop solar systems. This project represents a giant step toward becoming a net-zero carbon facility, and we look forward to decades of environmental stewardship with our tenants.”
Key features of the system include net metering which the FR8T Yard will use to export excess power into the grid to serve nearby homes and businesses. Equivalent to operating approximately 500 32” plasma TVs, the system is estimated to save 125 Megatons of CO2 emissions per year (equal to the amount of carbon that 3,137 trees absorb and store every day), contributing toward a cleaner environment in Houston.
According to Perez, XL Solar has its scope on solar projects throughout Texas, which SEIA (the Solar Energy Industries Association) also touts as the most promising solar market in the US. 2 According to Perez, “With state policies that remove market barriers and recognize Solar’s benefits, Texas is poised to become the nationwide leader in solar energy, with more than 4 GW of capacity expected to be installed over the next 5 years. Project Sunroof shined a new light on Houston; and the FR8T Yard project is only one of several projects that we have under development in Texas, where we plan to implement many large-scale commercial projects.”
About XL Solar Partners, LLC.
XL Solar Partners, LLC. is a leading developer of renewable energy solutions. The company provides project design, development, installation and financing for solar projects. The company combines best-of-breed technologies with the best practices of roof top solar to provide building owners with a clear path to achieve energy independence and lower electrical costs at predictable rates. For more information, visit www.xlsolarpartners.com.
About FR8T Yard Development
The FR8T Yard is a commercial redevelopment by KT Builders (www.ktbuilders.com) on 4245 Richmond Avenue in Houston. Current tenants are Noble Generation, an international clean energy and infrastructure developer, Renewable Generation Technologies, a domestic renewable energy developer, FR8T Yard Ministorage and FR8T Yard Wine Storage. The Grand Opening is anticipated in July 2021. For more information, visit www.fr8tyard.com.
1 Google, Project Sunroof (https://blog.google/products/maps/shedding-light-solar-potential-all-50-us-states/).
2 Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) on Texas Solar, Q4 2020: https://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/texas-solar.
Contacts
Xavier Perez at [email protected]
