J’s Maintenance Corporate Office Solar Array

J’S MAINTENANCE ACTIVATES PHAT ENERGY SOLAR POWER SYSTEM

Leading foothills area business J’s Maintenance officially activates a solar power plant on the roof of its headquarter facility in Glendale/La Crescenta on Saturday, July 17^th, 2010. The business is inviting the entire community to participate in the celebration and look at all components of the system with guided visits.

J’s Maintenance has taken a leadership position in the region by investing in a 20kW system, the largest commercial solar array in the La Crescenta-Montrose area.  “We are doing everything we can to build an environmentally sustainable business and this was the next logical step. The financial benefit we will receive was really an added bonus.” said J’s Maintenance Chief Financial Officer Chris Waldheim. ” At times, GWP will credit us for generating excess power that will be distributed into the grid and used by all of our neighbors. It’s a good feeling.”

J’s Maintenance accomplished this with the assistance of local renewable energy specialist PHAT Energy, also headquartered in La Crescenta and on Foothill Boulevard.  PHAT Energy designed a system especially to fit the various requirements and infrastructure situation of J’s Maintenance.

“We applaud the Waldheim’s for being so forward thinking in their business management,” explained PHAT Energy General Manager Philippe Hartley.  “This installation will offset about 70 % of the J’s Maintenance power load for the next 15, 20 years and beyond with beautiful energy from the sun. Like everything the Waldheim’s do, it’s good for their business, for the community and for the country.”

J’s Maintenance, which counts leading big box retailers and many Southern California homes in its customer base, was able to draw on financial help from the Federal Government, the State of California, and Glendale Water and Power to make financial sense of their solar strategy.  These standardized assistance programs are meant to spur the adoption of solar energy via rebates and tax credits. In the case of this commercial installation, it made the investment viable.

The official commissioning of the system will take place on Saturday, July 17, 2010 between 11am and 2pm at the J’s Maintenance headquarters, 3550 Foothill Blvd, Glendale/La Crescenta, CA.  Congressman David Dreier will be on hand, as will Glendale City Council members such as Mayor Ara Najarian and Councilman Frank Quintero.  All will help launch this event officially by pulling the lever to activate the system.  “We are delighted that dignitaries from both national and local governments will help celebrate this big moment” added Waldheim. “They are our partners in this.”

The installation consists of 96 Kyocera 210 watt panels, and is powered by 3 inverters manufactured by SMA.  The system installation has been done with special security precautions to protect against tampering.  The system is also equipped with a PHAT Energy data monitoring system which will provide live reporting of the system’s production via the internet.   The Phatlogger, as the device is called, will allow all parties involved in operating and using the installation to look through live and archived graphic displays of the system’s production.

Check out the photos from our Solar panel grand opening

About PHAT Energy:

PHAT Energy Corporation is known for their out-of-the-box thinking on “distributed” energy. The company operates on the premise that solar electricity, coupled with new electric storage solutions, will become the premier alternative power source for buildings and transportation.  The company has aggressively developed installation and monitoring solutions that offer a greater range of options for their customers.  PHAT Energy is a Premier Dealer for SunPower, and a respected installer of solar power systems for homes and businesses throughout Southern California.