As part of the Vernon Company’s (parent company to VGS) corporate initiative to reduce energy usage, in the summer of 2021 Vernon Graphic Solutions partnered with Artisun Solar, a Kansas City based solar power solution company. Together, we installed a 300 kW solar power system on the roof of the 22,000 square foot building addition. The 300 kW system is made of up of two 150 kW solar arrays, consisting of 750 photovoltaic solar panels and 4 power inverters.
Simply, the solar system operates by the solar panels absorbing energy from the sun and converting it into electricity. The inverter converts the solar generated electricity from DC current to AC current to be used to power the factory and office. A bi-directional meter is used to monitor the power being used by the business and credits are applied by net metering. Net metering accounts for the difference of excess power exported back to the grid and total power consumed by VGS. The system was sized to account for approximately 60%- 70% of VGS’s yearly electric consumption. The system and solar panels are expected to last 25-30 years.
This was not The Vernon Company’s first investment in renewable energy. In the past, we have changed out old technology fluorescent light bulbs with high efficiency LED lighting in all facilities. We are excited to add this solar power system to this initiative. Now that the solar system is installed, we look forward to all the benefits it has to offer – reduced power consumption, reduced carbon footprint, reduced reliance on fossil fuels and reducing air pollution, to name a few. The Vernon Company intends to invest in more renewable energy projects in its home office location in Newton, Iowa in the near future.
Vernon Graphics Solutions is a full service manufacturer of decals & graphics for original equipment manufacturers, and graphics for fleet & vehicle wraps for the trucking and waste industries.