New Castle, NY - Sunrise Solar Solutions, LLC last week announced it is installing Chappaqua’s first commercial rooftop solar power system above Chappaqua Restaurant & Café and Healthy Choice Apothecary.
The installation of the 8.74 kilowatt system chosen for the 6 and 10 South Greeley Avenue site utilizes 38 solar panels and 38 micro-inverters.
The new solar electric system will provide energy to both businesses that is not only renewable, but will substantially offset their electric bill. Building owners Phil Altman, of Healthy Choice, and Abe Abdalla, of Chappaqua Restaurant & Café, signed off on the project on Earth Day and installation is scheduled for this week. Between the signing and the commencement of installation, Sunrise Solar Solutions completed a structural analysis, sought and received NYSERDA and local building department approvals, provided a visual presentation to the New Castle Board of Architectural Review for their sanction, pursued and received interconnection agreements, and applied for all rebates and financial incentives available.
Phil Altman talked about his decision making process. “As a compounding pharmacist in a holistic and integrative pharmacy, I have thought about solar for a while but the timing was not right. But now, with energy costs on the rise, it just made sense to go solar with clean, renewable energy that would drastically reduce our electric bills. When I ran into one of the Sunrise Solar partners in the gym we talked about it and it seemed that the funding and rebates could make this work.” After Altman and Abdalla discussed it, they checked with their CPA who confirmed that the tax credits and depreciation would make this a smart move. Sunrise’s proposal that included a detailed 25-year cash flow analysis easily proved the case for Altman, Abdalla and their accountant.
Sunrise, of Briarcliff Manor, NY, is installing Conergy Power Plus structured-glass solar panels to power the new system. These panels offer the newest technology to ensure that the maximum amount of sunlight reaches the cells for the highest yield of solar energy. “Additionally, Conergy Power Plus is optimized to perform in the ‘lower light’ conditions that we typically experience in the Northeast,” remarked Sunrise Solar Solutions President, Doug Hertz. “These panels are proven to deliver more electricity than other panels currently on the market.”
In continuing it’s strategy of using the most technologically advanced products, the Healthy Choice installation will also feature Enphase Energy micro-inverters to work with the Conergy panels. These micro-inverters deliver more energy per panel and harvest more total energy than a traditional solar system. They also allow for more flexible and attractive design solutions. The Enphase inverters will collect and transmit performance information from each solar module allowing Sunrise, Chappaqua Restaurant & Café and Healthy Choice Apothecary to monitor and manage their solar system 24 hours a day. “We use Enphase micro-inverters on all our residential and commercial systems. They feature the longest warranty in the business, a 100% up-time guarantee and are safer. Using technology like this really sets us apart from the pack,” Hertz added.
Abdalla, Altman and their employees are quite pleased with their decision since they learned that this installation would offset 184 tons on CO2 during the lifetime of this system - the equivalent of planting 1,000 trees.
When asked about the first commercial solar installation in New Castle, Town Supervisor Barbara Gerrard spoke of the town’s enthusiastic support for this project and those to come. “This is a perfect installation for our downtown. When the applications came in to our building department, we acted promptly to get it to our Architectural Review Board for their approval, too. Sunrise Solar gave us an architectural rendering that made it easier for the process to move forward and we are all pleased to have this green addition to New Castle. I have even sent the rendering to other northern Westchester officials for them to see how this is done properly,” Gerrard said.
Sunrise Solar Solutions LLC is the sister company of 25 year old Sunrise Building and Remodeling of Briarcliff Manor. Sunrise Solar Solutions designs and installs solar systems for the commercial and residential market in the tri-state area. Sunrise Solar is certified by NYSERDA, NYSEIA, ISES and ASES. For more information:
http://www.sunrisesolarllc.com
914-762-7622
914-523-6398
914-762-8453
Healthy Choice Apothecary is an integrative pharmacy that believes in taking a holistic and preventive approach from the start. They offer a range of natural products to help maintain good health as well as traditional medicinal treatment options. As a rare specialty, Healthy Choice is a compounding pharmacy. For more information:
http://www.thehealthychoice.net/
914-238-1700
Chappaqua Restaurant & Cafe, a small and casual café, offers a friendly atmosphere for families or friends to grab a bite. The extensive menu includes delicious breakfasts, gourmet salads, soups, wraps, paninis, crepes, hamburgers, Greek platters and a wide array of Italian, Mexican and American entrees.
