Stewart's Shops Shares ROI Stats on Solar Panels

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Stewart's Shops is seeing its investment in solar panels pay off.

Three years after installing solar panels at its manufacturing plant located near Saratoga Springs, the panels have generated 1,819,047 kWh — equivalent to planting 1,224 trees, the retailer said.

In 2013, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), EnterSolar and Stewart's Shops announced the installation of a 600-kilowatt system atop Stewart's 300,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution center in Greenfield Center, as CSNews Online previously reported.

According to Stewart's Shops, the installation of the 2,400 solar panels has saved it approximately $40,000 in energy costs a year which is right on par with the retailer's projections.

To check out Stewart's Shops' solar output, click here.

In addition to its manufacturing plant, the retailer completed a 1.85-megawatt solar installation at 17 of its locations, which is designed to offset up to 75 percent of the power used by the c-stores, this summer. 

According to CSNews Online, this installation, conducted by NYSERDA and EnterSolar, supports New York State Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's mandate for 50 percent of electricity generation to come from renewable energy sources by 2030 via New York's Reforming the Energy Vision strategy.

Saratoga Springs-based Stewart's Shops operates 335 convenience stores in upstate New York and southern Vermont.