Solar panels spread across big Patterson roof

A gathering Friday celebrated the new solar panels atop a large warehouse for frozen foods.

Sierra Pacific Warehouse Group, based in Modesto, had the 100,000-square-foot array installed atop a warehouse it built in 1987.

The 2,655 modules turn sunlight into electricity that cools the warehouse, one of several owned by the company for use by food producers and other clients. They can generate about 1.3 million kilowatt-hours per year, equal to the consumption by about 120 California homes.

“As a frozen warehouse, our energy usage is so regular and predictable that we are the perfect company to go solar,” Chief Executive Officer Chris Murphy said in a news release before the event. “The Central Valley has so much sun that it makes good sense to use solar energy. Our community benefits, too, as there will now be more energy available during the peak hours when electricity from the grid is in short supply.”

The system is one of the largest in the electricity service area of the Turlock Irrigation District. Sierra Pacific bought additional property to the north of its warehouse after the 2012 closure of Patterson Vegetable Co., founded in 1946 as Patterson Frozen Foods. Murphy said the company plans to make those facilities solar, as well.

Sierra Pacific said the system will reduce burning of fossil fuels in power plants, blamed in part for the carbon emissions believed to be causing climate change. The savings over 25 years are equivalent to driving a medium-size car for 39.6 million miles, the company said.

Rodda Electric Inc. designed and installed the panels, which were financed by Oak Valley Community Bank.

This story was originally published April 10, 2015 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Solar panels spread across big Patterson roof."