Rio Grande
Albuquerque, New Mexico
If you ask the employees at Rio Grande why the company covered nearly 5 acres of its parking lot with a solar panel array in 2010, many are likely to joke that it was so they could get covered parking. In truth, it came down to wanting the company’s sun-drenched Albuquerque, New Mexico–based facility to be green.
“We wanted Rio to be a much more sustainable business, and we had the space,” says Mark Shipman, a business coach at the company. “And there were advantageous tax breaks as well.” It just made sense, he says, both financially and as one more way to minimize the environmental impact of Rio’s operations.
MJSA thanks the sponsor of this month’s special focus on responsible sourcing and green initiatives:
The company originally installed the array thinking it would generate 1.1 megawatts, but it actually generates 1.6 megawatts, and the system has already paid for itself.
“Larger systems generate electricity that goes back into the power grid,” explains Shipman. “And we buy it back from the utility.” But because the company generates more electricity than what they actually use, the electric company sends them a check, rather than a bill. This positive cash flow helped the company pay for the panel installation in a little more than four years.
However, Shipman is quick to point out that it’s not just about the dollars and cents. “The real benefit is that we’re creating an environmentally sustainable business,” he says. “There are lots of ways to save money, but we’re a principle-based company, and we believe in being conscientious and operating transparently. It’s also important to our customers to do business with a responsible supplier.”
This dedication to adopting green, sustainable practices extends beyond the solar array.
“We have a 3.5 acre roof on our building, and we treated it with an energy-conserving coating that reflects 80 percent of the heat and ultraviolet rays from the sun,” he says. “It’s amazing what a difference it’s made: It’s reduced our heating costs by 34 percent, and our cooling costs by 43 percent. For anyone who has to work up near the 24 foot ceiling, it basically feels like room temperature.”
The company managed to cut its cooling costs even more by replacing the evaporative cooling system popular in the dry Southwest with a refrigerated system.
“The older system wasn’t terribly efficient and it used a lot of water, since it cools as water evaporates,” he explains. “It also introduced a lot of moisture into the building, and made it more difficult to maintain our metals. By switching systems, we reduced our water consumption by almost 1 million gallons a year. And water isn’t terribly expensive here, so it wasn’t about the dollar savings. [Albuquerque] is a very dry place that struggles with water conservation so the savings just made sense.
“We want people to be proud of where they work,” he continues. “When people are happy, they’ll do better work. It just pays off for our customers and our company.”
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