Suniva starts powering the largest rooftop solar system in Florida. The 1.5MW solar array was designed and installed by Tempa-based Solar Energy Management (SEM) with ARCO/Murray Construction Company as the General Contractor. Being installed atop Great Bay Distributors’ rooftop, the array utilizes Suniva’s Optimus 330W PV modules and is slated to decrease the facility’s power costs by 90%.
Great Bay Distributors is an independently family-owned business and Florida's largest distributor of Anheuser-Busch products. In addition to the 1.5MW array, the company will also use part of the 246,000-square-foot commercial building to house their new headquarters. The Suniva modules are just one American component of this notable project as Great Bay CEO, Ron Petrini, insisted that the entire project be American-made.
"Powering the largest rooftop solar system in 'The Sunshine State' is gratifying," said Matt Card, vice president of global sales and marketing of Suniva. "Our roots are in the Southeast U.S., so it’s great to be part of such a notable project in Florida. It’s impressive to see the commitment that Great Bay Distributors has in both promoting responsible clean energy generation and supporting other American businesses."
ARCO/Murray, a turnkey design and construction solutions company based in Florida, was the builder for the commercial warehouse. In addition to the 1.5MW solar system, the building contains several other energy saving features such as LED lighting, insulated concrete tilt-wall panels, and natural gas water heaters and generators.
Brad Dalbol, director of operations for ARCO/Murray, commented, "Our design/build approach allowed us to analyze all project aspects, including the feasibility of a solar installation and associated componentry which led us to the ideal partners in Suniva and SEM."