Printery going solar to save some green: Payne Printery hopes panels help it save money, highlight stance on the environment.

Oct. 27--The solar panels Payne Printery is installing on its property will serve two purposes, the company hopes.

Beyond the obvious benefit of reducing its energy costs, the company aims to please customers with its green sheen.

"We are providing a product that's using energy that's

from renewable sources. I don't think there's a lot of companies that could say that nowadays," said Frank Cunius Jr., the company's chief financial officer. "When we look at growing our business, we want to do so in a manner that will help our customers achieve their own environmental goals."

The 50-kilowatt system will create a visible indication of the company's other environmental initiatives, such as paper supplied from ecologically sustainable sources, eco-friendly inks, an energy-banking unit that stores energy to blunt the effects of high-demand periods and an in-house recycling program.

"You could buy alternative-energy credits. We as a company wanted ... to have a direct impact," Cunius said. "The real lynchpin was when the state grant money became available."

In fact, the government funding was what made the project feasible. "Without state and federal assistance, at this point, solar isn't necessarily a viable option. You need to have that," he said.

The system, which he said costs "a few hundred thousand" dollars, will receive roughly half of its funding was from state or federal sources. Receiving an average of four hours of sunlight daily, it's expected to contribute 10 percent of the energy required at the plant, but the company will be able to add more panels in the future if it's a viable solution.

"We could cover all our land with solar panels and then some," Cunius said. "We certainly have the demand here for energy."

Other economic incentives are the potential for selling the alternative-energy credits the panels will produce and avoiding fluctuating energy prices. "We know this: We got hit with a rate increase a year ago. It was like 60 percent. ... We certainly felt that," Cunius said.

The return on the investment is likely 10 to 20 years, he said, depending on prevailing market rates. "It's not something that's a slam dunk," he said, but it will be a boon for customers looking to tout their eco-consciousness.

The family-owned and --operated company produces high-quality glossy brochures and print mailings, specializing in a three-dimensional chrome lettering effect. It also produces the window clings -- known in the industry as "static-charged repositional substrates" -- that show up in homes around the fall holiday period.

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