Shaw Industries Installs Innovative Solar Technology at Carpet Tile Manufacturing and Recycling Facility
ADAIRSVILLE, Ga. , April 17, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Shaw Industries Group, Inc. (Shaw) has installed an innovative solar technology designed for steep slope applications at its carpet tile manufacturing and recycling facility in Adairsville, Ga., known as Plant T1.
Shaw Industries Group, Inc. has installed an innovative solar technology designed for steep slope applications at its carpet tile manufacturing and recycling facility in Adairsville, Ga., known as Plant T1.
ADAIRSVILLE, Ga. , April 17, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Shaw Industries Group, Inc. (Shaw) has installed an innovative solar technology designed for steep slope applications at its carpet tile manufacturing and recycling facility in Adairsville, Ga., known as Plant T1.
"This technology gives us the opportunity to have a positive impact on people and the planet and to offer our customers a technology that allows them to maximize the power generation opportunities on their site," said Mike Ayers, CEO at Watershed Geo.
The installation is one of the many steps the company has taken toward its goal to achieve net zero operations by 2030. Since 2010, Shaw has reduced its operational greenhouse gas emissions by 57 percent. This investment in solar energy, along with a recently signed virtual power purchase agreement with Berkshire Hathaway Energy Renewables, will continue to minimize the company's carbon footprint on its quest to net zero.
The half-acre solar installation went live at Shaw Plant T1 in mid-April and was commemorated with an official "flipping of the switch" ceremony at the facility on April 16. The installation is expected to generate approximately 300 kW of power, enough to power more than 45 homes' electricity, according to conversion factors from the Environmental Protection Agency. The renewable energy generated will be used to power operations at the facility, which produces Shaw's flagship EcoWorx® carpet tile, further elevating the sustainability attributes of that product – the only flooring product in the world to be Cradle to Cradle Certified® to the rigorous v4 of the standard.
The PowerCapTM solar power system is a pioneering product from Watershed Geo -- an innovative solutions provider for the protection and resiliency of civil, environmental and energy infrastructures in which Shaw has controlling interest.
PowerCap, the first of its kind in renewable energy technology, is a unique solar innovation that was developed to allow for solar energy production on previously undevelopable land, such as landfills, brownfields and topographically challenging land like the steep slope application at Shaw's facility. It directly rests via a friction mechanism on an engineered geosynthetic technology, called ClosureTurf ®, with no penetrations of the closure system. The system's unique design allows for high power potential per unit area and for installation on steep slopes for even greater utilization of space. PowerCap can result in greater density per acre (1MW / 2 acres) than that of traditional solar arrays.
In addition to providing solar energy to the facility, this installation offers a more accessible location for Watershed Geo customers to see how the technology works and is installed. PowerCap is typically installed on top of synthetic turf at inactive landfill sites using Watershed Geo's patented ClosureTurf® system and at other erosion control areas. These locations are often inaccessible and difficult for other customers to see the system in action.
"The demonstration installation at Shaw's manufacturing facility provides us with the ideal way to showcase the possibilities of our PowerCap technology to more customers, more readily," said Mike Ayers, CEO at Watershed Geo. "This technology gives us the opportunity to have a positive impact on people and the planet and to offer our customers a technology that allows them to maximize the power generation opportunities on their site."
Shaw purchased controlling interest in Watershed Geo in fall 2021 – building upon its long-standing partnership. Shaw has provided Watershed Geo's engineered synthetic turf for the company's innovative and patented environmental solutions for utility, waste management, erosion control and mining industries for more than a decade. Shaw originally invested in Watershed Geo in 2011 to infuse capital and diversify the company's use of its artificial turf manufacturing assets, and has long been the exclusive provider of turf to Watershed Geo.
Watershed Geo's business is poised for exponential growth as it provides an exciting new opportunity for large utilities, government agencies and global industries to take a more sustainable approach to their sites.
"This installation at one of our carpet tile manufacturing and recycling facilities showcases the opportunity for Watershed Geo to move beyond landfill and impoundment sites," said Tim Baucom, president and CEO at Shaw. "This endeavor has illustrated our shared commitment to providing our customers with innovative, sustainable solutions to some of the world's greatest challenges."
Kellie Ballew, chief sustainability and innovation officer at Shaw, added, "At Shaw, we strive to create a better future and a better world. That includes designing products focused on the health & wellbeing of the planet and its people and being a positive force in the global effort to mitigate climate change."
About Watershed Geo
Watershed Geo develops innovative solutions for the protection and resiliency of civil, environmental and energy infrastructures. These widely recognized innovations challenge traditional solutions with systems that are sustainable, low-cost and engineered for extreme performance. Watershed Geo services the environmental and civil sectors, with customers such as TVA, Environmental Protection Agency, Southern Company, Dow, Rio Tinto, ExxonMobil, Chevron, U.S. Department of Energy, Georgia Pacific, U.S. Department of Defense, public and private waste management facilities and many others. Visit http://www.watershedgeop.com for more information.
About Shaw
Shaw Industries Group, Inc. supplies carpet, resilient, hardwood, tile and stone, synthetic turf, and other specialty products to residential and commercial markets worldwide. The company meets its diverse customer needs through an expansive portfolio of brands, including: Anderson Tuftex, COREtec, Patcraft, Philadelphia Commercial, Shaw Contract, Shaw Floors, Shaw Sports Turf, Shawgrass, Southwest Greens, Watershed Geo and more.
Headquartered in Dalton, Ga., Shaw is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. with more than $6 billion in annual revenue and approximately 20,000 associates worldwide. Visit http://www.shawinc.com for more information.
Media Contact
Meagan Scott, Shaw Industries, 706.532.2211, [email protected], www.shawinc.com
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SOURCE Shaw Industries
