Plastic Package Inc., a Sacramento, CA, manufacturing company, is now forming plastic using solar power. Already a significant manufacturer of green 100% post-consumer recycled plastic containers, Plastic Package says it has committed to using power from the sun in its manufacturing processes.

The company has selected a new solution by installing the largest cylindrical thin-film solar system west of New Jersey. This cutting-edge technology, produced by Solyndra, a Bay Area company recently funded by a $535-million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy, will be installed by Premier Power Renewable Energy of El Dorado Hills.

The new 208-kW system being installed on the roof will initially handle all of Plastic Package's peak demand and will assist its local power provider, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), in reducing its summer peak loads during the hottest part of the day.

With solar, the production peaks simultaneously with energy demand. As the sun heats up into midday, power demand increases. With the sun higher in the sky, the output from the rooftop solar system is increased. With the addition of a white membrane roof, Solyndra boosts production even further.

Solyndra has devised the cylindrical modules that enable its solar panels to capture sunlight over a 360-deg photovoltaic surface. "If you build a better solar panel, the world will beat a path to your door," says U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu. "Building a better solar panel is what Solyndra has done. Compared to traditional solar panels, these innovative thin-film systems produce more energy for less money and less hassle."

This fact was not lost on Plastic Package chairman Jim Kaye and company president Jennifer Kaye. The Kayes had done their homework over the last couple of years in researching solar technologies and investigating solar integrators that could provide them with a packaged solution that would help them to offset their increasing electrical consumption as their business grew. When they heard about the advantages of Solyndra they were ready to make the decision to go solar, and they chose Premier Power as the Integrator.

Steps toward making the plastics industry a green business
"The plastics business is not normally thought of as a green business,” says Jim Kaye, "but we are making major strides in that direction by using recycled soda bottles as well as bio-based materials in our products. Now that we've added solar, we want to let the community and our clients know, so they can feel comfortable that when they use our packaging, they are part of the sustainable process.”