Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, June 10, 2011

NORLINA, N.C. — Glen Raven has begun construction of a solar energy installation on the roof of its Sunbrella Yarn Manufacturing Center here that will generate power roughly equivalent to the annual electricity usage of 47 homes.

The $3 million project, the largest under Progress Energy's SunSense Commercial PV (photovoltaic) program, includes replacing the plant's 175,000-square-foot roof with a highly reflective white roof that will enhance the performance of the solar panels and also improve cooling inside the plant. Completion of the solar installation is anticipated this fall.

"This project demonstrates how a well-designed environmental program can have multiple benefits," said Leib Oehmig, president of Glen Raven Custom Fabrics, the Glen Raven subsidiary that operates the plant and manufactures and markets Sunbrella fabrics for furniture, awning and marine applications.

"When this project is complete, our plant will have an energy-efficient roof hosting a solar system that will also serve as a long-term provider of renewable energy to Progress Energy and is customers," he said.

Glen Raven said several factors that made the project both financially and environmentally feasible - new photovoltaic technology, federal and state tax credits and a commitment by Progress Energy to purchase solar-generated power.

Progress Energy's SunSense Commercial Solar PV program is designed to encourage the development of renewable energy by offering a premium price for solar power developed on commercial rooftops. The project will help Progress meet North Carolina's renewable portfolio standard passed in 2007, which requires utilities to generate some of their retail electricity sales from renewable energy resources.