Virnig Manufacturing goes solar

Virnig Manufacturing, Rice, Minn., a manufacturer of skid-steer attachments, recently turned on a new rooftop solar electric generator to provide clean energy that the company says will provide about 40 percent of its annual electricity usage.

The solar panels cover about 50,000 sq. ft. of roof space or just over one acre.

The Virnig family, Dean and Lois Virnig, and son Bryan, unveiled the solar rooftop panels on Oct. 27. The panels are on two buildings and are expected to cut the company’s electric bill by $4,000 or more per month.

With an estimated 25-year lifespan, the solar panels could save the company nearly $1 million in energy costs.

The Virnig family has been in the fabricating business for more than 27 years. The company uses state-of-the-art technology, including laser cutters, premium components, powder-coat painting and robotic welders in making its products.

“We use a lot of electricity,” says Bryan Virnig, the company’s marketing director. “We are welding and cutting steel all day long, and it requires a lot of electricity. The bills were quite high and we’re a small company, but we still needed to make sure it made sense for us financially.”

Virnig says the project has been in the making for the last 2½ years, but some things had to fall into place before it could be considered economically feasible.

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