Harvard-based Pedigree Ovens debuted its ‘pawesome’ solar array just in time for National Clean Energy Week (9/21-25). The massive solar installation is in the shape of a large dog bone and paw print. It covers roughly 4.5 acres, includes more than 4,300 solar panels and will produce enough energy to cover 100% of the pet food manufacturer and distributor’s yearly energy needs. It will also offset 1,456 tons of greenhouse gases annually.
Since 1996, Pedigree Ovens and its associated enterprises, The Pound Bakery and Petdine, have been producing top-of-the-line private label pet treats. Owner Kurt Sticker has a long history of investing in the Harvard community. He built a new 212,000 square foot facility in Arrowhead Industrial Park in 2017 to support the company’s rapid growth as a provider of large and small batch, handcrafted treats for pets.
The company’s solar installation is equally handcrafted, and it did not happen without some challenges. The array, originally planned for the facility’s roof, had to be revisioned and moved to the ground by design company Simpleray to provide for Pedigree Oven’s future expansion. A custom order of black-on-black-on-black solar modules was manufactured by HT-SAAE for the dog bone and paw print. OMCO Solar, which created the mounting and racking for the installation, navigated uneven ground to ensure visual consistency of the display. Althoff Industries, the electrical contractor, oversaw placement of the module.
From the air, the finished array flows seamlessly. “It’s ‘pawesome’,” said Stricker, “and a perfect statement about everything that we do and care about.”
In addition to saving money on energy costs, the array will reduce the company’s carbon footprint and help assure a sustainable clean energy future for the Harvard community. “Over the next 25 years, the array will offset 9,000 metric tons of CO2, the equivalent of 50 railcars of coal from being burned and the equivalent of more than 22 million passenger vehicle miles,” he noted.
“We are excited to have sustainable energy to support our sustainable products,” said Stricker.
