Smugglers' Notch Resort now producing energy from solar trackers

Well accustomed to carefully tracking snow storms throughout the winter season, northern Vermont ski area and vacation destination Smuggler’s Notch Resort will now be tracking something new— the sun.

Smugglers’ has installed 35 Vermont-made AllSun  solar trackers, which use GPS and wireless technology to follow the sun throughout the day, boosting energy production.  

The solar energy is a new step in the resort’s environmental commitment.  The 150kW project will produce approximately 205,000kWh per year and supply the energy for most of the resort’s Village Lodge, which houses Bootleggers’ Lounge, Riga-Bello’s Pizzeria, the Green Mountain Deli, and the Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop.

“We’re always looking for ways to increase our sustainability in energy and other areas, so when we were approached by AllEarth Renewables the project seemed worthy of exploration. It’s a good second step to follow our first smaller solar project, the eight panel solar hot water generator on a condominium building, which is saving about 1000 gallons of propane a year,” said Mark Delaney, Smugglers’ vice president for corporate development.

Smugglers’ was designated an Environmental Leader by the state of Vermont in 2006 and has been recertified each year since.  The resort’s first entry into solar generation occurred in 2007, when a small solar hot water installation went on the roof of one of the North Hill community’s Tamaracks buildings.

The new solar installation is made up of AllSun Trackers manufactured locally by AllEarth Renewables of Williston, Vermont, which use innovative technology to boost solar energy production by up to 45 percent over roof-top installations.  The ground-mounted solar systems are designed for homes, businesses, non-profits, and commercial-scale installations. 

“Not only do our ski areas have an invested interest in environmental stewardship, but they also have a platform to model energy leadership to hundreds of thousands of people a year.  It’s exciting to see Smuggler’s walking the talk here,” said David Blittersdorf, CEO of AllEarth Renewables.

“With the scope of operations here at Smugglers’, there are unlimited opportunities to demonstrate good environmental stewardship. And with ongoing innovations in green technology, we’re looking forward to many more exciting projects that complement our stewardship priorities,” added Delaney.
 

Smugglers' Notch Resort is a year-round family vacation destination located 50 minutes northeast of Burlington, Vermont. In summer the resort offers pools and waterslides, all-day children’s programs, guided hiking and more. Winter fun features skiing on 78 trails spread across three mountains. Smugglers’ has received local and national recognition for its environmental stewardship. (http://www.smuggs.com)   

AllEarth Renewables, named Vermont’s fastest growing company in 2010 and 2011, employs 25 full-time staff, and has designed, manufactured, and installed over 1,200 complete grid-connected solar tracker systems.  Blittersdorf, CEO of AllEarth Renewables, was recently listed by Business Week as one of “America's Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs of 2011.” (http://www.allearthrenewables.com/products/solar/ )

The AllSun Tracker was recently selected as a top-10 green product for 2012 by BuildingGreen magazine.

Media Contacts:

AllEarth Renewables, Andrew Savage, asavage@allearthrenewables.com; 802-872-9600
Smugglers’ Notch Resort, Karen Boushie, mediarelations@smuggs.com; 802-644-8572