Kokatat has invested in a 26-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system that is expected to provide approximately 35,000kW hours of electricity per year, equal to 16% of the company’s total electric demand.
The rack system was designed, manufactured and installed by companies and contractors in Kokatat's home town of Arcata, CA and is among the largest in Humboldt County.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest solar photovoltaic system installed by a private business in the county,” said Kit Mann, project manager for Kokatat. “There are two schools and a health clinic with larger systems.”
Mann explained that the amount of electricity generated by the system will be enough to run the more than 40 sewing machines on Kokatat’s production floor. “We can honestly say that our sewing machines run on the sun,” said Mann.
Named the 2010 Arcata Green Business of the Year, Kokakat provides an established platform of green practices, social equity and economic vitality to the region. Kokatat’s decision to go solar was supported by federal tax incentives and California state rebates. They also received a highly desired and competitive $20,000 grant from the USDA Rural Development’s Rural Energy for America Program.
To learn more about Kokatat’s installation project, watch this video, http://www.vimeo.com/16396331. For more information about the project and its stages, please visit Kokatat’s blog at, http://blog.kokatat.com/.
