It was great to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of the first-ever C-PACE financed solar project in Virginia at Rocklands BBQ and Grilling in Arlington. Ipsun is so grateful to everyone who made this project possible, and to those who came out to celebrate with us!
Ipsun CEO Herve Billiet was on hand to cheer everyone who helped make the project possible, including the Ipsun staff, Rocklands BBQ owner John Snedden, C-PACE Administrator Scott Dicke from Sustainable Real Estate Solutions, Arlington Initiative to Rethink Energy (AIRE) manager Rich Dooley, and Arlington Credit Union VP of Lending Jim Wilmot.
“We are so thankful to everyone who was a part of this project,” Billiet said. “We hope it sets a great example for businesses in Virginia. C-PACE offers a way to reach your sustainability goals without the large upfront cost, and we hope many more businesses will take advantage of this great opportunity available in our state.”
“It’s always been a dream of mine, now realized, to power my restaurants with solar and reduce our carbon footprint,” Snedden said. “The solar PV systems will lower our utility bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, 100% financing from Arlington C-PACE helped us avoid using cash on hand. That’s the right thing for our business and community.”
From left to right: Arlington County board member Takis Karantonis; Ipsun CEO Herve Billiet, Rocklands owner John Snedden, Senator Barbara Favola; Arlington Initiative to Rethink Energy (AIRE) manager Rich Dooley.
We were grateful to have special guests Senator Barbara Favola and Arlington County board member Takis Karantonis in attendance as well. “We are delighted that the first C-PACE project in the commonwealth is right here in Arlington,” Senator Favola said.
“I applaud Rocklands Barbeque for taking the initiative to create a greener environment and contributing to the renewable energy effort. C-PACE is an important program and more commercial entities should learn about its benefits and experience the rewards of being good environmental stewards,” she added.
Arlington C-PACE was spearheaded by the Arlington Initiative to Rethink Energy (AIRE) to advance public policy goals in Arlington’s Community Energy Plan. Those include reducing energy costs, increasing renewable energy deployment, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and creating local jobs.
The Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company projects total 44kW on two adjacent properties. The project will generate almost 59,000 kWh of electricity per year, and the energy savings are estimated to be $281,000 over the effective useful life of the equipment.
Since you can’t see the solar panels from the ground, we installed a handy kiosk view inside the restaurant so patrons can check out the real-time energy production, see photos of the panels, and learn about the environmental benefits the project brings. Check it out next time you go into Rocklands for a BBQ fix–it’s right on the wall as you wait in line to order!
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Interested to learn about C-PACE financing for your commercial solar project? Give us a call at 703-249-6594 or click below to contact us!
