Estes just offset nearly 100% of its energy needs with rooftop solar

The largest privately owned freight carrier in North America has finished installing rooftop solar panels at its 4th and 5th trucking terminals, and announced plans to add solar installations at two more of its locations, furthering its commitment to solar transformation.

Estes has partnered with Dynamic Energy on the PV installations at the two terminals in Lakewood and Pine Brook, New Jersey. The company claims that both installations will offset nearly 100% of their grid energy demands, with a total savings over a 25-year expected lifespan that’s expected to exceed $1 million based on projected energy savings.

“The freight industry is incredibly energy intensive,” explains Webb Estes, president and COO of the trucking company that shares his name. “Efforts like this help Estes offset expenses in this area, while furthering our investment in clean, sustainable energy sources.”

The New Jersey terminals represent the fourth and fifth terminals Estes has solarized. The first three such solar projects at were completed at the company’s terminals in West Middlesex, Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Maryland, and Greensboro, North Carolina.

Estes is also actively working on two more solar projects in Norfolk, Virginia, and Joliet, Illinois, respectively – all completed in partnership with Dynamic Energy.

“Dynamic Energy has been a tremendous partner as we continue retrofitting our terminals with solar panels,” says Estes. “… lessening the impact energy prices have on our operations and profitability.”

All told, Estes’ solar projects are projected to generate more than 1,600,000 kWh annually, effectively offsetting approximately 1,180 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). The company says that number to be equivalent to the carbon sequestration accomplished by 1,400 acres of US forests each year.

Electrek’s Take

Estes is doing a phenomenal job electrifying its equipment assets and decarbonizing its operations – but it’s worth noting that there’s a lot more to this push than eco-consciousness and sustainability. Estes said it himself: this is about insulating the trucking industry’s razor-thin margins from rapidly fluctuating energy prices, which large-scale solar projects like this one will definitely do.