Mar 16, 2012 10:23 AM

Varsity Produce, one of California’s leading grower-shipper-processors of onions, will not shed a tear about its decision to go solar with Cenergy Power on its processing/cold storage and packing facilities.

The 428.40-kilowatt solar system will pay for itself in less than four years, offset approximately 97% of Varsity’s utility bills, and reduce the plant’s carbon footprint by more than one million pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year.

“We evaluated several solar developers, and we decided to move forward with Cenergy Power due to their superior solar value and established track record,” said Brent Rhodes, operations manager for Varsity Produce. “After looking at solar for several years, we finally saw numbers that made a lot of economic sense, and we can now feel really good about decreasing our carbon footprint.”

Established in 1983, Varsity Produce is a year-round grower, shipper, and processor of fresh yellow, red, white, and sweet onion varieties, including whole peeled onions. The onions are processed and packed at its 40,000-square-foot Bakersfield CA facility. The majority of Varsity Produce’s onions are grown near Bakersfield and New Cuyama CA.

Cenergy Power, a division of BAP Power Corporation, is a commercial solar developer for large agriculture and industrial applications.

Access www.cenergypower.com for full information.