Pepperidge Farm Adds Solar to its Sustainability Recipe

Pepperidge Farm Adds Solar
to its Sustainability Recipe
Challenge
Campbell Soup Company has set a series of sustainability goals, including to
reduce energy use by 35 percent and to source 40 percent of its electricity
from renewable sources.
SunPower’s Solution
Pepperidge Farm, Incorporated, a subsidiary of Campbell Soup Company,
in partnership with BNB Renewable Energy Holdings and SunPower Corp.,
Quick Facts
installed a 1 MW solar array at its bakery in Bloomfield, Connecticut. The project
1.2 MW
is the second largest installed at facilities owned by Campbell, and one of the
Total System Size
few solar arrays operating at manufacturing sites in the industry.
Customer Benefit
Pepperidge Farm and Campbell wanted a solution that enabled the company
to be a good environmental steward, while saving money. SunPower enabled
them to do both―with a ground-mount, fixed-tilt system on five acres of
sun-drenched land leased from Pepperidge Farm. Pepperidge Farm expects
the system to generate approximately 1.7 million kWh of solar energy per year
over the life of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).
5 acres
PV Surface Area
2,720
Number of Panels
1,711,026 kWh
Estimated Annual Output
1
High-performance solar that reaps big savings
In 2014, Campbell partnered with BNB Renewable Energy Holdings to analyze
its U.S. facilities and help determine which ones were suited to onsite renewable
energy generation. The team determined that the company’s Pepperidge
Farm facility, located in Bloomfield, Connecticut, was one of the sites with the
strongest solar potential.
BNB engaged SunPower to design and build a system that would help
Pepperidge Farm reach its goals while optimizing incentives from the Connecticut
Zero Emissions Renewable Energy Credit Program.
Pepperidge Farm was specifically looking for a solar solution to add to
Campbell’s renewable energy portfolio, which already included a 1.2 MW fuel
cell, and another solar installation at a plant in Napoleon, Ohio, also built by
SunPower and developed by BNB.
“People in town and especially
at the plant are very proud of
the project. It’s doing much
more than saving us money.
It’s also building enthusiasm
for renewable energy
throughout our community.”
Harry Pettit
Manager of Electrical, Robotics and
Environmental Projects, Pepperidge Farm
“When Campbell Soup awarded BNB the RFP to build this project, we turned
to SunPower for a reliable, long-term solar solution,” says Brandon Wall,
director at BNB.
Pepperidge Farm, BNB and SunPower worked together to make sure the project
would meet everyone’s objectives. Pepperidge Farm provided a five-acre site
that was ideal for a solar installation. The company signed a 20-year PPA with
BNB that locked in yearly energy credits worth 1.7 million kWh per year for
the next two decades. BNB and SunPower built the project to meet the exact
specifications of Connecticut’s Zero Emissions Renewable Energy Credit Program
(ZREC) program, which limits projects to 1 MW in size.
SunPower and BNB collaborated to structure a creative financing solution for
the project, which is owned by PNC Energy Capital LLC, leased back to BNB
Bloomfield Solar LLC, and operated and managed by SunPower.
The new project already provides 10-15% of the energy that the plant would
typically use, which is ultimately sold to others. More importantly, the project has
produced more than just energy.
“Everyone in the community is excited about what we’re doing,” said Harry Pettit,
Manager of Electrical, Robotics and Environmental Projects at Pepperidge Farm.
“This project has created a real sense of pride about the leadership role of the
Bloomfield community when it comes to renewable energy.”
SunPower Corporation
1.800.786.7693
sunpower.com
© 2016 SunPower Corporation. All Rights Reserved. SUNPOWER and the SUNPOWER logo are registered trademarks of SunPower
Corporation in the U.S. and other countries as well. All other logos and trademarks are properties of their respective owners.