Overview

ECS Energy completed a 1.548 MW ground-mounted solar installation at Advanced Biotech’s manufacturing and distribution facility in Oneonta, NY. The solar farm consists of 2,700 high-efficiency 540-watt modules mounted on pile-driven posts with racking set at a 25-degree tilt and oriented due south for optimal production. Designed to offset the facility’s current annual electric usage, the ground-mounted array delivers both immediate and long-term financial and environmental impact.

Advanced Biotech is a manufacturer of the highest-quality flavor and fragrance ingredients and one of the leading suppliers of raw materials to the industry. Their commitment to exceptional ingredients is driven by customers who demand rigorous standards of consistency, strength, and quality. Many of ABT’s customers are multinational corporations with defined sustainability objectives, demonstrating environmental responsibility across their supply chains. By investing in solar energy, Advanced Biotech aligns directly with their clients’ sustainability commitments while reinforcing their own role as environmental stewards.

In Year 1 alone, the system is projected to deliver $128,000 in electric savings, supported by a $355,250 upfront NYSERDA incentive discount. Environmentally, the system will avoid approximately 860 metric tons of CO₂ emissions annually, creating significant long-term value while advancing Advanced Biotech’s sustainability leadership.

Objectives

Advanced Biotech set out to install solar energy to promote sustainability and significantly reduce their reliance on the utility company and to fully offset their current electric usage through on-site solar generation. ABT has vast flat land on the property that was perfectly suited for a solar farm. The project involved developing a solar farm utilizing a 10-acre field adjacent to the facility. By owning the system, the company positioned itself to leverage available Federal tax incentives and NYSERDA benefits, maximizing the financial return on its renewable energy investment.

Challenges

The project presented several engineering and interconnection challenges. Initially, the system was designed to interconnect behind-the-meter and feed the manufacturing and distribution facility directly. However, the utility mandated that the system interconnect directly to the grid, significantly complicating both the design and execution. Additionally, the existing circuit serving the facility was not sufficiently sized to accommodate a solar farm of this scale, requiring further cost, significant delays, coordination and infrastructure upgrades.

Solution

To address these requirements, the system was redesigned to interconnect directly to the utility grid. The utility installed new circuit feeders from the substation to the solar farm to handle the system’s full backfeed capacity. ECS Energy constructed a 1.548 MW ground-mounted array with modules mounted at a 25-degree tilt and oriented due south to optimize production and performance.

Benefits

As a result of the installation, Advanced Biotech now benefits from a reduction in electric costs. The company can also confidently promote that its manufactured products are produced using clean, renewable “green” energy, aligning its operations with sustainability commitments and the environmental expectations of its customers.