Estes Express expands use of solar power

The Richmond, Va.-based trucking company is powering its Greensboro, N.C. terminal with solar energy.    Estes Express Lines has completed the installation of a large solar energy array on the roof of its Greensboro, N.C., terminal.
   It is the largest of three solar power systems in the company, with previous installations at Estes’ Baltimore and Elkton, Md., terminals, director of marketing Nick Scola said.
   Consisting of 2,760 solar panels, the system will generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity, which is equal in terms of carbon dioxide reduction to removing 145 passenger vehicles from the road.
   The system produces enough electricity to power all the buildings on the site.
   The Greensboro project cost Estes $1.6 million, which is offset by renewable energy tax credits of 30 percent from the federal government and 35 percent from North Carolina. The North Carolina tax credit program expired at the end of 2015, which prompted Estes to select and complete the installation project in mid-December 2015. 
  The Greensboro terminal has 130 truck doors and serves customers across the mid-Atlantic region. Estes said the project was completed in six weeks by Green State Power without disrupting daily operations. The solar system is interconnected with Duke Energy’s power grid.