One Massive Roof, One Massive Solar Project

For 10 years, executives at Clarke have wanted to take advantage of its location. The , including the culinary center and showroom for its Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances, sits on a hill in Milford with no tree cover.

In other words, lots of sun.

The company decided to invest in a solar roof, no small task for a building that had an existing ballast roof covering 106,500 square-feet.

Installation of the new solar roof began this month, the company announced Thursday, giving Clarke an unusual credential. The project is one of the five largest in Massachusetts, in terms of its scope, according to a press release.

Work is being completed by Beaumont Solar Company, of New Bedford.

When completed, the cylindrical solar panels will generate 94 percent of the electrical energy for the Clarke complex, said Chris Parker, Clarke's director of finance and information technology, in a press release.

In addition, he said, the company is trying to shave another 6 percent of its energy costs using other methods. If this succeeds, Clarke should achieve "Net Zero" energy consumption at the Milford headquarters.

Installation of the solar panels began in April, with removal of the existing ballast roofing materials. In early May, 2,304 solar panels, each capable of generating 200 watts of electricity, were shipped from a California company to Massachusetts.

Installation of the Solyndra solar panels started in mid-May. They are a set of tubes, rather than the traditional flat panels, which Clarke officials said will reduce snow load.