Industrial Finishes

Product Innovation

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Live Solar Generation

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On our 50th Year in business, Industrial Finishes and Systems, Inc. and Superior Steel of Eugene, Oregon unveiled a 450 KW solar electric system. Tax credits, incentives, and utility agreements make Oregon’s largest commercial solar array a reality. It all started when Stuart Barr began researching solar panels for his ranch’s off grid well pump over 3 years ago.

This 450 KW system will generate almost 500,000 kilowatt hours (kwhs) per year and feed its green electricity directly into the Eugene Water and Electric Board’s (EWEB) grid system. It was a combination of tax credits, financial incentives and the prospect of selling the power generated at a premium rate that attracted Barr’s VP of Finance, Randy Friesen, to solar energy. “The tax benefits for installing a solar electric system are substantial and the prospect of EWEB paying us per kilowatt hour generated is appealing,” said Friesen. This 450 kilowatt system features 2,574 Sharp 175 watt mono-crystalline photovoltaic panels and 2 Satcon 225 KW inverters, and will start generating power in November. The system covers the roofs of 2 buildings and includes 3 different attachment methods. A non-penetrating clamp and rail system is used on one building which has a “Butler” standing seam metal roof, while a combination of tilt-up racks and a non-penetrating Sunlink system is utilized on the roof of Industrial Finishes. “Advanced Energy Systems (AES) has designed the majority of the commercial PV systems in Oregon, including the largest building integrated system for Pepsi-Cola in Klamath Falls,” said David Parker, President of AES, whose company designed and installed Industrial Finishes’ system with Reynolds Electric. “This is the best technology available today to generate clean, renewable solar electricity for the next 35 years with minimal maintenance. We have created a solar project that will generate more than 100% of the electricity Industrial Finishes needs on an annual basis, to run its operations in Lane County.”

The environmental benefits are huge. Over its lifetime, the system will save over 13,000 tons of greenhouse gases or the equivalent of 1.3 million gallons of gasoline. This is the best technology available today to generate clean, renewable solar electricity. It is our physical example of demonstrating that we want to actively lead our company into the next 50 years providing Solutions for a cleaner world.

Industrial Finishes and Systems, Inc. is a privately held company that has been doing business in Eugene and nationwide for more than 50 years. We have facilities in 8 states, do business in 30 states and currently have 356 employees and 56 company vehicles. We plan more of these projects in our other locations in the US and Mexico. View real-time monitoring and stats of one of the largest solar energy systems in the Northwest.