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First in the Industry.

Lunardi's has been one of the first in the industry to implement solar power as its primary lighting source.

SOLAR POWER THE BURLINGAME & WALNUT CREEK LOCATIONS

In 2002, Lunardi's, partnering with Power Light Corp. of Berkeley, CA., teamed up with Nextek Power Systems and Princeton Energy Systems to create a power system for installation at their Burlingame store: a 35kW direct current system powered by photovoltaic panels which feeds directly to the fluorescent lighting system. Revolutionary at the time, this DC system still has advantages over a 95kW system at the Walnut Creek store. Unlike the DC system, the Walnut Creek installation is equipped with an inverter which converts the energy to 480 volts of alternating current (AC). Though AC is more conventional, upwards of 20% of the rated power is necessary to activate the system in the event of an outage. This can be complicated by the shoulder periods -- morning and afternoon hours when sun angle is not optimum. Burlingame's DC system functions constantly during daylight hours and can run on as little as 1kW, taking advantage of shoulder periods. In turn, the time necessary for the system to pay for itself is shortened.

LUNARDI'S MARKET SOLVES ITS ENERGY NEEDS - COGENERATION.

Through some innovative idea sharing and neighborly cooperation, Lunardi's Market was able to eliminate their vulnerability to frequent power outages in Los Gatos. With the installation of two 60kW cogeneration units and a backup diesel generator, manufactured by Coast Intelligen of San Marcos, CA., Lunardi's has been able to bring an end to their dependence on PG&E for their power needs. In addition, they have provided their neighbors, The Terraces of Los Gatos, a retirement community adjacent to the shopping center, with surplus hot water at a discounted price.

The hot water, a byproduct of the generators' cooling process, supplies 20-30% of The Terraces' needs. Along with the fee paid to Lunardi's by The Terraces for the hot water, PG&E has agreed to accept a 50% cogeneration output and waived the competition transition costs (CTCs). With these benefits, Lunardi's is able to pay for the natural gas to fuel the cogeneration units, the maintenance costs for the three generators and make their lease payments to Dana Commericial Credit for the financing of the equipment. In a show of creative research and planning, community cooperation across the board has afforded a means to save energy, safeguard against power outages and maximize thermal output by selling surplus hot water.

What is a CoGeneration?
Cogeneration (also combined heat and power, CHP) is the use of a heat engine or a power station to simultaneously generate both electricity and useful heat.