Longtime GASP partner Levin Furniture has just installed a 1-megawatt array of 2,500 solar panels atop its warehouse and corporate headquarters in Smithton. A “Flip the Switch” ceremony to turn on the system will be held at Levin’s warehouse at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
“This project continues our investment in the company and adds to several important environmentally responsible practices at Levin’s,” Levin Chairman Robert Levin said in a release.
The new 1 MW array is the fifth rooftop solar project completed by Levin’s. The local family business is believed to be the first furniture company in the United States to use solar power with its 2004 installation at its Monroeville location.
Levin Furniture was recognized in 2008 by the State of Pennsylvania with its “Waste Watchers Award” given to organizations that have shown leadership in recycling and other environmental initiatives.
As the largest solar installation by a retail company in western Pennsylvania, the system will generate 70 percent of the distribution center’s annual electricity needs, or enough to power approximately 100 homes.
In one year, that equates to eliminating roughly 824 tons of CO2, or 1,738 barrels of oil.
Solbridge Energy Advisors was tapped to serve as the project consultant, broker, and owner’s representative. Solbridge worked with Levin leadership on all aspects of the project. Paradise Energy Solutions constructed the solar array.
“Levin has long been a supporter of GASP and a business that has led by example when it comes to green initiatives,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “We thank them for their corporate leadership.”