REC Solar completes 102 KW array at Hilton Hotels subsidiary

REC Solar, providers of solar electric system design and installation, has completed a 102 KW array installation for The Hampton Inn & Suites Bakersfield North-Airport, a subsidiary of Hilton Hotels in Bakersfield, California.

The carport-mounted installation will save up to $8,800 per month by offsetting 44 percent of the electricity costs for the 94-room hotel.

The installation reflects company’s commitment to enhance solar deployment with hospitality customers.

Braxton Myers, vice president, Operations, Blackstone Hospitality, said, “Solar never made sense for us in the past. But REC Solar delivered a price point that convinced us to take another look. They walked us through a range of financing options and designed a tailored carport system which offered many benefits. REC Solar came highly recommended by their existing customers, and have delivered on that sterling reputation throughout this process.”

Blackstone Hospitality provides property management for franchise hotels throughout the U.S as in the case of The Hampton Inn.

The Bakersfield hotel faces high cooling costs, as the temperatures reaches 115 degrees. In a hot community like Bakersfield, Blackstone may be one of the largest consumers of natural resources.

For installing a rooftop array the Hampton Inn would need to close the top floor of rooms and forfeiting revenue. To address this, REC Solar designed a solar carport without disrupting existing operations. The carport generates clean electricity and provides parking space for 30 cars.

Moreover, REC Solar used HelioScope software to design the system, reducing installation time and costs.

Hampton Inn also installed two electric vehicle charging stations, with sufficient space for up to eight stations. Hotels are ideal places for solar energy, but are faced by obstructions ranging from high costs to concerns regarding customer inconvenience, said Mark Bettis, VP, Sales and Marketing, REC Solar.

Sustainable initiatives like solar energy and EV charging stations are becoming desirable amenities for hotel customers. Both the solar array and the EV charging stations at the hotel were inaugurated on July 30, 2014.

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