Falmouth Building Outfitted With ‘Most Efficient’ Solar Panels

Woods Hole Landholdings in Falmouth has outfitted nearly 2,400 square feet of roof space with Sun Power panels. The 176 panels, provided by Beaumont Solar, are the most efficient solar panels commercially available on the global market, according to a statement.
The office building is the headquarters for the Woods Hole Group Inc., an international, environmental, scientific and engineering consulting organization and its affiliate, the Woods Hole Group Middle East, according to a statement.
“While the international community continues to fail in achieving a common basis for combating global climate change, Woods Hole Landholdings has moved forward locally to address our corporate responsibility to help the United States develop more sustainable energy,” said David Aubrey, owner of WHLH. “When our building was first constructed 10 years ago, we were not able at that time to finalize a renewable energy component, though we wanted to and incorporated such an eventuality into our building design.”
Using a grant from the stimulus bill provided by the federal government and a rebate from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust, WHLH installed solar photovoltaics (PVs), arrays of cells containing a material that converts solar radiation into direct current electricity, which will provide 40 percent of the building’s electric power requirements. The cost of the system will be paid back within five years.
With state funding, WHLH is also upgrading its interior and exterior lighting, at a savings of nearly 50 percent in electricity use for lighting.
“Cape Cod has the second highest electricity rate in the nation after Hawaii,” said Beaumont Solar Company President and CEO Phil Cavallo. “The Beaumont Solar Co. has been developing renewable energy projects for the past four years, including installations in southeastern Massachusetts, and companies like WHLH understand both the environmental need and financial benefits of putting renewable energy to use.”