As more and more companies look to take advantage of government incentives for use of renewable energy, one metro St. Louis firm is already assisting businesses and organizations in actually making it happen. D&R Energy Services, based in Alton, Ill., is producing efficient installation bracketing for solar panels and helping Midwest firms establish their own renewable energy programs.
“Business executives, municipal officials and organization leaders know this is the way to go, but they don’t know where to start,” says David Gotter, president of D&R Energy Services. “That’s where we come in. We offer a turnkey solution – from planning and design, to production, installation and consultation for green energy solutions through our Clean Power Plans.”
Based on the wide array of government programs, companies and municipalities are finding implementation of renewable energy systems to be more affordable than ever. In some cases, organizations also produce additional power that can be sold, thereby offering another source of revenue for the firms.
D&R Energy Services learned the process firsthand through installing solar panels at its manufacturing headquarters. The roof at their facility includes a 30-kilowatt field of solar panels installed on the roof of the building. D&R also took advantage of utility incentives to install energy-efficient lighting throughout its plant. Today the facility generates 23 percent of its own power as a result of the panels – an average savings of $450 per month.
“We’re not just telling companies that this is something they should do. We’ve done it ourselves,” says Rene’ Gotter, D&R Energy Services vice president. “We’ve been through the process and we know how it works.”
The company is also quick to point out that they are one of the few regional renewable energy solution providers that actually manufactures and installs its own patent-pending solar panel bracketing. This creates opportunity for the area’s economy. As the promise of renewable energy continues to grow, the company anticipates job growth, as well.
“That’s really a tremendous side benefit to this opportunity,” says David Gotter. “Not only will this help companies save money and become more energy efficient, it will also help our local economy through job creation. To give you an idea of scale, we have more than $10 million in projects that we hope to be awarded in the 2011 business year.”
Gotter notes that his renewable energy systems are entirely American made. Companies, municipalities and organizations interested in learning more about renewable energy solutions can visit the D&R Energy Services website, http://dandrenergyservices.com. The site includes an overview of their Clean Power Plan services and provides contacts for further information.
David and Rene’ Gotter stand next to the field of solar panels on the roof of the D&R Energy Services facility in Alton. The company generates 23 percent of its own power via the panels and assists businesses in designing and implementing their own renewable energy solutions.
Even better, this new software allows us to import a CAD model of a 3D part from our client into 3DCAM software for direct machining. This allows for more efficient communication and reduces format problems between D&R and our clients.
