Big Sun For Big Apple
Solar Energy Systems has announced the installation of Brooklyn's largest commercial solar electric system. The 68.4 kW system will provide 100% of the electricity needs for City Merchandise, New York's largest national tourist souvenir company based in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. SES, collaborating with area contractors, created the green-collar team, entirely Brooklyn-based, to install the system.
"All of our electricity is now supplied by our solar system. And as a travel-related firm, our souvenirs make tourism to NYC more eco-friendly, and that is very important to us," says Jack Gindi, owner of City Merchandise, which has been designing, manufacturing and catering to NYC's souvenir needs for over 20 years.
"NYSERDA is pleased to have provided $252,880 in incentives toward the installation of this PV system," says Francis J. Murray Jr., President and CEO of NYSERDA. "It is extremely important that we as a State utilize renewable energy sources such as solar, to strengthen our energy and environmental future. This project is a fine example of what we are trying to achieve under Governor David A. Paterson's '45 by 15' clean energy agenda."
David Buckner, President of Solar Energy Systems, says, "City Merchandise has both a sizable roof and an efficient business operation, the combination of which allows for a solar project that completely offsets their annual electricity needs. Not only are they generating clean on-site electricity, they are at the same time achieving an extremely healthy return on investment. Welcome to the future."
Josh Keller, the Executive Director of Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation, affirms that, "The borough's largest industrial solar array has been made possible by the hard work and collaborative efforts of Brooklyn-based contractors and installers. Brooklyn's small businesses have always been a tight knit and effective group and their work here is further evidence of their ongoing dedication to the community. We applaud City Merchandise for their forward-thinking approach to energy efficiency and for promoting the growth of small businesses and jobs in Sunset Park."
