- Office of Technical Assistance and Technology
Through a number of improvements and key management decisions between 2005 and 2016, Mark Richey Woodworking Inc. (MRW) has implemented several alternative energy and renewable energy systems in their facility (including a biomass boiler, 600 kW wind turbine, and 500 kW solar array), and has risen as a leader in their industry in terms of energy efficiency measures implemented at the facility. By 2017 the facility is expected to, on average, produce more electricity than it currently needs to operate, which will allow them to operate more or less off the electric grid. The wind turbine produces 60% of the facility’s total electricity needs of about 1,000 megawatt hours (MWh) per year. The solar array is projected to produce 630 MWh per year, thereby meeting MRW’s current electricity needs and allowing the facility to send electricity back to the grid. The excess generating capacity will allow MRW to expand production while still using renewable electricity (See the chart to the right). The biomass boiler heats the 85,000 square feet facility powered by waste sawdust and woodchips. This case study also examines equipment investments made by MRW to improve energy efficiency in production.