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, meagan.scott@shawinc.com, www.shawinc.com
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SOURCE Shaw Industries