June 14, 2012 (Haverhill, MA) – Continuing their long-standing commitment to sustainable business practices, Swix Sport USA and Leewood Realty signed an agreement to provide up to 95 percent of their electrical requirements from a 343 kilowatt solar panel system installed on the roof of the central Swix warehouse.

The $1.5M project includes a new reflective roof and an array of solar panels that covers the roof of the 53,000 square foot warehouse.

This is another piece of Swix Sport USA’s long-term strategy to go green. Swix’s new facility features high efficiency heating systems, motion controlled lighting throughout the warehouse and a self regulated low flow water system.  The opportunity to partner with Leewood Realty in this solar project combined with other green features built into the Haverhill facility, are some of the primary reasons this site was selected for Swix Sport USA’s relocation in the summer of 2011.

The solar project became fully operational on Thursday June 7, 2012, as solar power generated from the solar array began feeding the grid. In addition to providing for the electrical needs of the Swix office and warehouse operations, additional energy is sold to the local energy utility providing a renewable source of power for the region.

Steven Poulin CEO of Swix Sport USA stated, “I am very pleased with how the solar project has developed. Working closely with Peter Schwarz of Leewood Realty on the $1.5 million dollar project was a rewarding experience that places Swix at the forefront of the ski industry in terms of environmental sensitivity. With climate change a constant factor in our business I felt that this project was important for Swix, even after this difficult season.”

The projected yearly energy production of the solar project is approximately 400,000-kilowatt hours of electricity per year. This displaces 608,000 pounds of CO2, and equals the greenhouse emissions of 31,000 gallons of gasoline or the electricity needs of 34 homes for 1 year.

The new Swix Sports USA headquarters will provide customers, employees and associates the opportunity to see sustainable building strategies firsthand. In the lobby there is a real time solar monitor showing the Kilowatts of solar energy produced, trees saved and carbon reduced. Real time energy output of the project is available HERE.