Atlas Copco Solar Panel Installation Set to Save 57% Energy, Cuts CO2 Usage

Atlas Copco Power Technique inaugurated its new solar panel installation at the Paragon Way facility in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The 2,397 roof-mounted solar panels will provide approximately 57% of the energy consumed within the facility while saving approximately 600 metric tons of CO2 every year.

One square foot of solar panel gives an output of approximately 12 watts of power. If laid end-to-end, the solar panels would spread nearly three miles. The new installation will make the best use of the greater than 3,000 hours of sunlight in South Carolina every year.

The total project investment was more than $2 million and was 50% funded through grants provided by the Federal government and the state of South Carolina for green-energy initiatives. The investment was made in 2019 and the installation was reaching full capacity already from March 2020. The official unveiling event in March was delayed by the events of COVID-19.

Frederic Genestout, general manager of the manufacturing facility at Atlas Copco Power Technique stated, “Thanks to this solar initiative our carbon footprint will be more than halved, which shows our commitment to the sustainable values that are so important at Atlas Copco.”

The 200,000 square-foot facility is home to more than 400 employees and is the U.S. headquarter for the Power Technique business area and BeaconMedaes medical gases division. Products manufactured at this facility include mobile compressors, generators, and a wide range of medical equipment, including oxygen-control systems.

In 2019, the plant was the proud recipient of the Charlotte Business Journal's Supply Chain Innovator of the Year.