Castillo Engineering and RPG Energy Group, prominent players in the energy efficiency and renewable energy integration sector, have announced the completion of a 1.3 megawatt (MW) behind-the-meter solar project in Indiana.
Situated in Greenwood, this project marks the final net metered project in the state. The installation incorporates bifacial solar panels and ballasted racking and is expected to deliver operational savings of $140,000 for Endress+Hauser, a leading automation and instrumentation manufacturing company, in the first year alone.
Colton Cooper, Vice President of Design and Engineering at RPG Energy Group, praised the expertise and reliability of Castillo Engineering, emphasizing their ability to meet tight delivery timelines for electrical engineering and structural feasibility analysis. The partnership between the two companies ensured the completion of the project on time while providing significant savings to the customer.
In Indiana, where net metering has recently been phased out, finding ways to optimize solar energy sites and provide cost savings to customers has become increasingly important. The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission had required net metering to be offered by the state’s five investor-owned utility companies since 2004.
This policy allowed customers to sell excess energy back to utilities at the same rate they were charged for electricity. However, a legislative bill approved in 2017 initiated the phase-out of net metering, resulting in a reduction of around 70 percent in the amount customers could earn from selling solar power back to the grid.
RPG Energy Group and Castillo Engineering efficiently worked together to meet both regulatory and operational deadlines, allowing the 1.3 MW solar project to qualify for retail net metering. To comply with net metering deadlines, the companies had to submit the interconnection application and obtain approvals within six months of project completion.
Al Bacon, Vice President of Operations and Engineering at Endress+Hauser, expressed satisfaction with the project’s progress, highlighting RPG Energy as the only company confident in meeting the tight deadlines required for net metering compliance. From the initial proposal to completion, the project was accomplished within eight months. Endress+Hauser commended RPG Energy for their excellent and timely support throughout the entire project.
In addition to meeting the stringent deadlines for net metering qualification, the project resulted in a 53 percent net energy offset for the manufacturing plant. The instrumentation manufacturer, renowned for producing flow meters for liquid, gas, and steam systems, can now offset the production of thousands of flow meters each year thanks to the solar energy system.
Christopher Castillo, CEO at Castillo Engineering, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to collaborate with RPG Energy and deliver significant long-term savings to the business. RPG Energy’s expertise in industrial-scale behind-the-meter solar projects played a vital role in the success of this venture, considering the assessment required for two separate electrical services and meters to maximize energy offset and utility bill savings.