sustainability initiatives - self-generated clean...

Sustainability Initiatives - Self-Generated Clean Electricity and Recycled Drink Bottle Use

1030 N. Anderson Rd.Exeter, CA 93221(559) 594-6813

Visit our Website at: www.penpack.net




Federal and StatePartnerships




Peninsula Packaging's manufacturing facility in Exeter, CA:347,000 square foot plant1.1 megawatt, photovoltaic "sun farm"4 million pound raw material storage silos

3,888 Photovoltaic PanelsHarvest Clean, Non-Polluting,Renewable Energy from theSUN. The panels articulatefrom East to West powered byGPS tracking systems toinsure optimization of the sun'sirradiance. Largest privatelyfunded installation of it's typein North America. Energyproduced by Peninsula's"sun farm" equals 1% of allsolar power generated inCalifornia.


1030 N. Anderson Rd.Exeter, CA 93221(559) 594-6813Packaging firm’s solar cells reduce power bill

By Don Schrack

(Jan. 15) Exeter, Calif.-based Peninsula Packaging Co. has reduced its average monthly electrical bill by nearly $50,000 by installing a massive state-of-the-art solar power array.

Ed Byrne, co-owner and general manager of Peninsula Packaging, said the cost of the solar array, erected on seven acres adjacent to the plastic clamshell manufacturing plant, was $8.3 million. He said the reduction in electrical bills — plus state and federal incentives — will permit the company to recapture the investment in five years.

“I’m told this is the largest privately owned tracking photovoltaic array in the country,” Byrne said.

The 1,100 solar cells are mounted in north-south rows and rotate to follow the sun from east to west. Byrne said the panels, installed by PowerLight Corp. of Berkeley, Calif., are guaranteed for 25 years, but he said some experts predict they will function for a century.

“The solar array will mean a 30% savings in the plant’s average monthly power bill of $150,000,” he said.

After three years of study and development, the network of solar cells went online in November. It is designed to produce up to 2,000 megawatt hours annually. Byrne said the company plans to add another solar power grid on the roof of the 350,000-square-foot building.

Byrne said Peninsula Packaging, which manufacturers a variety of clamshell products, had gross revenues of $50 million in 2006. He said the company’s primary customers are packer-shippers, but it also serves airlines, bakeries and foodservice. Peninsula was founded in 2002.

Byrne, a 26-year veteran of the package manufacturing industry, admits he thought clamshells would never play a key role in the produce industry when strawberry packers began using them in 1989.

“The industry and I have learned nearly all produce in clamshells suffers less bruising in shipping, there is less shrinkage for retailers, and the clamshells are an added protection for food safety,” he said.

The Packer, January 15, 2007


Ten acres are covered by Peninsula's 1,100photovoltaic energy cells generating 2,000megawatts of power.




Solar power systems such as the one used by Peninsula PackagingCo. Help reduce the strain on public power grid.

Solar power helps clamshell producer contain costs

Peninsula Packaging Co., a manufacturer of plastic clamshells for the produce industry, has built a state-of-the-art solar power array at its production facility in Exeter, CA. At $8.3 million, it is one of the larger privately financed solar collection systems in the country.

The network of 1,100 solar cells went on-line in November after three years of study and development, followed by a year to install the array. The system can produce up to 2,000 megawatt hours per year, according to Mike Nelson, director of Washington State University's Northwest Solar Center and a consultant to Peninsula's project.

Mounted on steel poles, the cells turn to follow the sun, supplementing Peninsula's power supply during peak hours.

"This is the largest privately owned tracking photovoltaic array in the United States," Mr. Nelson said. "The power produced is approximately 1/1000 the average output of a nuclear plant, at a 30-to-1 energy benefit, [meaning] the energy produced is 30 times the energy used to produce it. It's clean power, the need to burn fossil fuels is reduced, and even the solar cells themselves are environmentally friendly. From the standpoint of conservation, this array will save 5 million gallons of oil, the equivalent of removing 2,900 cars from our roads. In the interest of air quality, the solar system will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 29 million pounds."

The system, installed by Berkeley, CA-based PowerLight Corp., Is designed to help take the edge off the company's power needs during periods of high demand. This can be particularly helpful during the hot summers of California's Central Valley, when temperatures regularly top 100 degrees. During these times, the solar array can provide up to a third of Peninsula's requirements while taking some of the strain off the public power grid.

The Produce News, January 8, 2007




Plastics News, January 28, 2007

By Michael LauzonPLASTICS NEWS CORRESPONDENT

EXETER, CALIF. (Jan. 26, 6:50 p.m. EST) -- When the sun shines, the folks at Peninsula Packaging Co. are doubly glad.The Exeter clamshell maker operates a solar power array that saves it money and

helps guard against power brownouts. Peninsula has been running the array — which converts sunlight directly to electricity — since November and “it has been performing well,” said Peninsula co-owner and General Manager Ed Byrne.

The network of 1,100 solar cells can produce up to 2,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per year, estimates Mike Nelson, director of Washington State University’s Northwest Solar Center and a consultant for the Peninsula project. The cells are mounted on steel poles and turn to follow the sun, supplementing Peninsula’s power supply.

Byrne said the $8.3 million solar array is one of the biggest privately financed setups in the United States.

The local utility, Southern California Edison, provides rebates for power produced by the array. The rebates represent about 40 percent of the installation cost and further financial help comes through accelerated depreciation programs for state and federal taxes.

Byrne said in a telephone interview that the solar idea arose four years ago when he and partners were setting up Peninsula. At first it was seen as a way of minimizing power interruptions. As the idea grew, power savings became evident, since the company expected to pay 10-18 cents per kilowatt hour when sourcing from the local grid.

Other benefits go beyond Peninsula’s own needs.“From the standpoint of conservation, this array will save 5 million gallons of oil,

the equivalent of removing 2,900 cars from our roads,” Nelson stated in a news release.Peninsula requires electricity to power its PET extrusion and thermoforming

machinery.In the summer, air conditioning is needed to counter temperatures that regularly top

100° F in California’s Central Valley.When the sun shines hotly, the system is able to take some strain off the local grid while providing even more electricity for Peninsula.“The [electricity] price won’t change from year to year,” according to Byrne.“Being able to guarantee that over the long haul can be a competitive advantage,” he added.

Peninsula Packaging’s solar power system is designed to generate more than 2 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year.




March 14, 2007

Peninsula Packaging Company in Exeter has built a state-of-the-art solar farm to power their factory.

The solar farm consists of 3,800 cells that are capable of powering the entire plant making it one of the largest privately financed solar projects in the country.

Before the solar panels where installed the factory’s annual energy bill was approximately $3 million dollars. The project cost $8 million dollars to install and they expect an annual savings of $400,000.

Peninsula Packaging manufactures plastic containers for the produce industry. They are looking into adding alternative power sources in other plants around the country.




March 16, 2007

The largest installation of solar panels at a business in the San Joaquin Valley is in Exeter. The company got over $3M back from the government for putting the solar panels in. It's all part of a state incentive program that urges companies to use more efficient, environment-friendly energy.

Peninsula Packaging here in Exeter usually spends about $3M a year on energy. But thanks to these new solar panels, they're cutting as much as $500,000 off their bill.

From skylights, to lights with timers, Peninsula Packaging has several different ways to save energy. But their crowning achievement is this solar project. Over 4,000 panels provide more than 20% of the plant's energy.

Ed Byrne, Peninsula Packaging, says, "We determined that solar was the way for us to go with. At that time, electricity rates had skyrocketed and they looked like they were going to continue to go up. The country was sort of in that energy crisis again and so this just looked like it made sense for us."

Byrne approached the Southern California Gas Company about installing solar panels. The gas company told them about a special incentive program that helps off-set the costs of going solar. Peninsula Packaging paid nearly $8M for its solar system.

But on Friday, thanks to the incentive program, the company got $3.4M back.Rick Whisman, Powerlight, says, "This is a one-megawatt project and one megawatt is as large of a facility you can build here in

California.""We couldn't do this without the incentive money, " added Byrne.Installing solar panels in businesses and homes seems to be a growing trend across the country. Here in the South Valley, the

Visalia Airport gets 60% of its energy from recently installed solar panels, and several solar panels adorn the roofs of these condominiums in an effort to help residents shave some dollars off their energy bills.

People here say the Valley is the perfect place to use solar energy. Colby Wells says, "Solar panel obviously with the Valley is very popular, there's a lot of sun, there's a lot of days throughout the year that solar can work."

Rick Whisman states, "Very exciting, 5 to 10 years ago, a system a 10th of this size would have been considered a large system. So now that we're consistently bumping up against that 1-megawatt limit it's a very exciting thing for Powerlight as well as the solar industry in general."

Another interesting thing about these specific solar panels is they are "power tracking panels" which means they literally track the sun from the east to the west. That generates even more energy.

Since 2001, over $47M has been awarded through this incentive program.



March 31, 2009

ORLANDO, FLA. (March 31, 1 p.m. ET) -- When Peninsula Packaging Co. opened its doors in Exeter, Calif., nearly 10 years ago as a fully integrated manufacturer of PET food packaging that contains recycled content, "green" and "sustainability" were barely part of the industry lexicon. But Peninsula’s commitment to use recycled content in its packaging for produce, baked goods, prepared foods and grab-and-go foods at convenience stores has paid dividends in both sales growth and in recognition for its environmental stewardship. “We always believed that a closed-loop system was going to be one of the principles that we built the business on,” said Allen Kidd, vice president of new product development for the $75 million company. “We thought the use of recycled content was going to be the wave of the future. We knew recycling of products had to be done and the two just had to collide.” Kidd was interviewed at the Global Plastics Environmental Conference of the Society of Plastics Engineers, held Feb. 26-27 in Orlando.

Peninsula received the Dan Eberhardt Environmental Stewardship award, one of 11 awards handed out by GPEC at the conference. The award recognizes Peninsula’s commitment to the use of recycled content and its use of solar energy to provide 50 percent of the power needed to make its packaging products at its plant in Exeter. Peninsula said its solar farm is the largest privately funded solar installation of its type in North America. Peninsula can process more than 100 million pounds of PET annually and uses more than 25 million pounds of recycled PET a year, said Peninsula co-owner and General Manager Ed Byrne. Its products use anywhere from 20-100 percent recycled PET, with the average among its 250 products being “about 50 percent,” said Kidd. Byrne said whether potential customers use recycled PET for food packaging often is “a function of costs.” “If the cost of recycled resin is lower than virgin, that will drive demand, because I don’t think there are any players out there willing to pay more for virgin” in the thermoforming market, he said. “Right now the price of virgin PET has put recycled PET at a disadvantage, but we think it is temporary.” Regardless, Byrne said that within three years, Peninsula will be making all of its food-packaging products with 100 recycled content and that its plant in Exeter will be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy. “We think that is attainable.” While Byrne characterized the pace of growth over the next few years as modest, Kidd painted a slightly different picture. “In three to five years,” said Kidd, “there is no reason we shouldn’t be a $150 million to $200 million company,” with growth coming from existing markets as well as products such as fruit-tray carriers, shoe boxes and industrial carrier and tote-type trays. “All that is limiting our growth is the ability to expand with new equipment, new products and new facilities.” Peninsula has plants in Exeter, as well as Wilson, N.C. In addition, Byrne has discussed with Tony Mouchachen of Merlin Plastics Alberta Inc. the feasibility of being individual investors in a sister company that would build a 60 million-pound plant in Modesto, Calif., to make food-grade recycled PET resins and be a supplier to Peninsula. Peninsula signed a three-year contract to purchase 1.5 million pounds of recycled PET monthly from Eco2 Plastics Inc. But Kidd said that “finding an ongoing supply of clean, ground bottle scrap remains the biggest challenge” because of the lack of bottle washing systems in the California market. “We need to find ways to divert it from landfills and ways to use it instead of shipping it offshore.”

Peninsula Packaging Company receives the 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers Environmental Award

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