Davidson Automotive Group Quadruples PV Capacity with 800 kW Expansion

Davidson Automotive Group—which sells new and used Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC , Ford, and Nissan vehicles in Watertown, N.Y.—started out small…at least with its photovoltaic array. However, to fully demonstrate its commitment to renewable energy—and to take advantage of increased energy savings—the company quadrupled its existing 200 kW solar system by adding 800 kW of installed capacity, all with the help of SMA’s Sunny Boy inverters and Sunny Tower mounting system.

Project Details

Kevin Bailey, owner and operator of Troy, N.Y.-based High Peaks Solar, expanded Davidson’s PV system by installing 3,137 Suniva MVX 255W modules and 96 Sunny Boy 7000-US inverters mounted on 16 Sunny Towers. According to Bailey, the decision to use SMA products—particularly the Sunny Tower—for this project was a strategic one. “SMA inverters offer the best track record in the industry for reliability and durability and have no problem operating in the sub-zero temperatures that Watertown can experience,” he explained. “Also, the Sunny Tower system provided the design flexibility we needed to create very concise system sizing in order to meet state PV incentive program requirements.”

With the additional 750,000 kWh produced each year, the entire system now offsets as much as 100 percent of the energy needs of the five dealerships that comprise Davidson Automotive Group.

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