Spectro Alloys, the Midwest's leading aluminum recycler, recently completed a solar installation through All Energy Solar, Inc. to power its new 70,000-square-foot distribution center in Rosemount.

Spectro makes old things new by taking aluminum scrap, mainly from cars and appliances, and recycling it for a new useful life. The recycled metal then finds new uses across the country. According to the company's president, Luke Palen, "Recycling at Spectro saves about 95 percent of the energy needed to make new aluminum." However, with a large operation comes significant energy usage.

Going solar made sense for a company already focused on sustainability, but the financial aspect helped secure the decision. "With a breakeven point of about seven years and a 30-year warranty on the panels themselves, we will have a lot of years of sustainable energy," said Palen. With beneficial environmental and financial outcomes, Spectro was confident in going Solar.

After looking through some options, Palen said, "It was quickly apparent to us that we were going to go with All Energy Solar." Spectro was impressed with the installer's turn-key services and custom solar designs. From the start, the All Energy Solar team was professional and communicative.

The work done at Spectro Alloys is nonstop, so the All Energy Solar team had to be aware of the challenges of completing this project. Working around the Spectro operations, the installer placed 212 solar panels, producing 112kW of power, to support the distribution center facility where finished aluminum products are cooled and stored before being shipped.

"We have installed enough solar that Spectro's offset is around 50 percent of the distribution center's operations," said Ben Anderson, one of All Energy Solar's commercial project managers. It doesn't stop there, though. "All Energy Solar offers not just an installation but an experience. A turn-key solution as well as service and support for years after." Anderson commented.

With Spectro Alloys continuing to grow in a needed industry, they hope to implement more environmental action into the business. Solar energy is not just an investment in the energy bill but an investment in the environment that will reap benefits for decades.

Spectro Alloys | https://www.spectroalloys.com/

All Energy Solar | www.allenergysolar.com