Southern Carton, a growing leader in the packaging industry located in Lewisburg, TN, recently completed a 49kW solar project. Formed in 1977 with a small group of family members, Southern Carton has grown to become a state of the art facility of 140,000 square feet reaching a delivery area of 4 states.

Owner Dave Kennedy explains, "At Southern Carton, the customer still comes first, not the production schedule." They employ approximately 50 people and still deliver their manufactured products in their own trucks with their own personnel, priding themselves on quality, service, and integrity.

Southern Carton invested in Solar because "We had looked at several different avenues to cut energy costs and invest in new technologies. LightWave Solar was a perfect fit to accomplish this. Considering the proposal LightWave Solar presented to me, it's really a no brainer. With the tax credit and accelerated depreciation, it just makes good financial sense " says Dave Kennedy.

Southern Carton happened to be in need of roof maintenance also, so according to Dave "this seemed like an opportune time to kill two birds with one stone." Southern Carton chose Professional Roofing Contractors from TN, who also have a solar electric system installed by LightWave Solar, to perform their roof maintenance. Professional Roofing Contractors heat welded 232 attachment points for LightWave Solar during the installation. Both companies worked together to coordinate the installation of the new roofing membrane with the solar installation.

Regarding the solar installation so far, Dave says " I've had several positive comments from other people in our industrial park about the attractive look of the solar panels. We're very happy with the outcome on our first building and should start the installation of the second one later this month."

LightWave Solar completed a 49kW installation on the first facility in December and will begin a 47.5kW installation on Southern Carton's second facility this month.

TVA's Green Power Providers (GPP) program will continue this year without changes to buyback rates or capacity:

• GPP open as of January 11, 2017, on a first-come, first-served basis and will close on December 15, 2017.
• Total capacity offered will be 10 MW (50/50% non-residential/residential split).
• The renewable energy generated will be purchased at the retail rate for the entirety of the 20 year contract.
• The system size will range from 0.5kW - 50kW.