Franklin Products Partners With GridPoint to Save 50 Percent of Electricity Costs

DALLAS, Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Franklin Products, a leading producer of upholstery products for the commercial airline industry, and GridPoint, Inc., an established leader for smart energy solutions, today announced the powering of a 100 kW photovoltaic solar array at Franklin's Dallas manufacturing and distribution facility. 

The system, comprised of 576 Canadian Solar CS5A-180W panels, is capable of producing 140,000 kWh of electricity annually, approximately half of the company's local need.

"Franklin Products is committed to providing the airline industry with the best possible engineering, products and services. We also maintain a strong commitment to energy conservation," said Bob Lehew of Franklin Products. "Our GridPoint solar energy system has not only helped us reach our sustainability goals, but also lowered our electrical energy costs significantly."

The GridPoint solar energy system is complemented with an intelligent monitoring solution to record and display the current and historical energy production of Franklin Products' manufacturing operation. The web-based monitoring system displays Franklin Products consumption data, current weather conditions; environmental contribution toward reduction of greenhouse gasses; and monetary savings achieved by its solar electric generation in day, week, month, year and lifetime increments.  

"GridPoint is pleased to work with Franklin Products in lowering its operating expenses," said Jeff Ross of GridPoint. "The commercial application of solar energy is enabling businesses across the country to take control of their energy use, lower their expenses, lock in predictability for their energy costs, and meet sustainability goals."

GridPoint provides solar energy solutions for enterprises that include design and engineering, project management, monitoring, and procurement and installation of assets including solar panels, inverters and racking. The company's renewable energy customers include local, state and federal municipalities as well as major restaurants and retailers.

About Franklin Products

Franklin Products, an upholstery supplier for commercial aviation seating, is leading a revolution in airline cushion and dress cover innovation. Since 1988, Franklin Products has harmonized aesthetics, ergonomics, and technology in developing products for its major airline customers located around the world.  More information is available at www.franklinproducts.net.

About GridPoint

GridPoint provides key stakeholders in the energy ecosystem with the visibility, analysis and control to more efficiently consume, generate and distribute energy.  GridPoint's smart energy solutions combine software, hardware and services that integrate, aggregate and manage distributed sources of energy consumption, generation and storage.  An enterprise-class software platform provides a shared foundation for products, creating a common point of integration, asset provisioning and real-time management.  GridPoint customers include Fortune 100 retail and restaurant chains and leading North American utilities.  For more information, please visit www.gridpoint.com

SOURCE GridPoint

RELATED LINKS
http://www.gridpoint.com
http://www.franklinproducts.net