Fox Hopyard Golf Club Now Keeps Cart Fleet Moving with Solar Power
Members and visitors at Fox Hopyard Golf Club this season have noticed something new when finishing up their round on the 17th and 18th holes at the popular Connecticut golf course.
The southern facing roof of the maintenance building now dons a series of solar panels, and their golf cart has a small decal on the windshield declaring “This cart is charged with electricity generated by Fox Hopyard’s solar panel array.”
The new solar electric system was installed this off-season by Sandri Energy. The golf course and Sandri Energy are both owned by The Sandri Companies headquartered in Greenfield, MA. Fox Hopyard falls under Sandri’s Hospitality division along with its sister courses Crumpin-Fox Club in Massachusetts and Fox Hollow Golf Club in Florida.
Sandri is a third-generation family owned business founded in 1931. The energy division is fully diversified. They offer everything from gasoline, coffee and candy bars at their over 100 Sunoco retail locations in New England, to heating fuel, central air conditioning and solar panel installations to thousands of customers located primarily within a 30 mile radius of headquarters.
“We designed the solar panel system to generate electricity well in excess of the annual charging demand of the golf carts,” explains Sandri’s Executive Vice President Jake Goodyear. The solar panels will generate 30 megawatt hours of electricity annually. The golf carts require 20-25 megawatt hours of electricity to charge per year. "
“Basically, the solar panels produce more electricity per year than the carts use to charge,” said Goodyear. “This system allows Fox Hopyard to produce enough electricity on-site each year to offset the power it needs to charge the golf cart fleet with a little left over for lights, computers, and other power needs in the maintenance building,” he said.
Ron Beck, Fox Hopyard’s Head PGA Professional and Director of Golf is pleased with the solar panel system for several reasons. “It makes sense on many levels,” says Beck. “From a financial perspective it’s a clear win.”
By generating 30MWH of electricity onsite every year, Fox Hopyard will be able to avoid electricity purchases from Connecticut Light and Power Utility in that same quantity.
“It also makes sense for the environment, making a statement about our seriousness when it comes to being environmentally responsible and reducing our carbon footprint,” he said.
“But I especially like that it gives us a leading edge in golf course operations. We are pioneers to an extent. To my knowledge, there are no other courses around here doing this. So we’re ahead of the curve,” explains Beck. He also noted that, “The golfers are kind of excited about it because it’s something different.”
Catching the eyes of the golfers was part of the idea. The solar project was funded in part by Connecticut’s Clean Energy Financing Investment Authority (CEFIA), under the On-Site Renewable Distributed Generation (OSDG) Program for Best of Class, Public Buildings and Affordable Housing. Fox Hopyard’s solar panel installation fell under the “Best of Class” category.
CEFIA’s program provided financial support for new renewable energy generating equipment at commercial, industrial and institutional facilities in Connecticut. The intent of the funding was to enable owners of solar photovoltaic (PV) electric systems to “break even” over the life of the PV Project, with a fair and reasonable return on investment, compared with purchasing the equivalent amount of power from the utility.
Projects that applied for funding under the OSDG program were evaluated on many levels, one of which was the ability for the host site to conduct outreach efforts to promote the application of PV to non-residential entities and the general public.
“We thought that Fox Hopyard’s capability to demonstrate to our peers in the golf world how this technology can be implemented would align with the state’s goals to help promote solar PV to other commercial entities,” explains Mr. Goodyear. “And if you combine the visibility of the installation from the fairways on holes seventeen and eighteen with amount of people that come to play each year, we knew it was possible to deliver on the promoting to the general public,” he said.
Along with the decals pronouncing each golf cart to be “sun-powered,” Sandri is installing two monitor screens in the golf shop and club house that will display live system data as well as information about solar technology, how it works, and the installation process.
“I’ll be happy when the live monitors go in,” comments Mr. Beck. “I think it will help people understand how the solar panels up on the roof of the maintenance building are actually actively turning daylight into electricity that’s charging the golf carts. It’s really pretty cool,” he said.
About Fox Hopyard
Fox Hopyard Golf Club (www.golfthefox.com) in East Haddam, designed by Roger Rulewich, formerly of Robert Trent Jones Sr. firm, is considered one of the premier semi-private layouts in southern New England.
The club offers a blend of challenging golf, first-class customer care and a setting that is difficult to beat. Playing at nearly 7,000 yards from the back tees, this Par 71 layout has it all.
Woods, meadows, water,wetlands, and wildlife combine to make this one of Roger Rulewich’s most memorable designs. The course has matured extremely well since it opened in 2001, and is always kept in top condition.
Over the last decade, the owners of Fox Hopyard (Sandri Companies of Greenfield, MA) have fine-tuned their course, removing some trees to improve airflow around greens and tidying up the fringes of the playing surface.
At almost 7,000 yards from the back markers, which carry a slope rating of 136, the par-71 course offers a stern test for even the best players. But five sets of tees allow the track to be enjoyed by golfers of all abilities.
The club has a top-notch clubhouse and outdoor seating where golfers, guests or the public can relax and enjoy a drink and meal from the club’s "On The Rocks" restaurant.
A sizable Pro Shop offers a full range of equipment and apparel. The Professional staff offers both group and individual lessons on an expansive practice facility, as well as a popular Junior Golf program.
About Sandri Energy
Sandri Energy (www.sandri.com) is a family owned and operated full-service fuel and energy distribution company that provides diversified products, services and solutions to retail and commercial customers.
They are a Sunoco branded motor fuels distributor that operates throughout New England and Eastern New York. Sandri also provides a variety of home heating fuels including: fuel oil, kerosene, propane, and wood pellets to thousands of customers throughout western Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Sandri has a large HVAC service, repair and installation department that features a variety of heating, cooling and indoor air quality options.
Leveraging their vast knowledge and experience in energy related products and petroleum distribution, Sandri has added a renewable energy division offering direct to consumer solar hot water installations, wood pellet fuel and heating systems, and solar electric photovoltaic installations.
Contacts:
Jake Goodyear, Sandri Companies, 413-223-1115
jgoodyear@sandri.com
Ron Beck, Fox Hopyard Golf Club, 860-434-6644
rbeck@golfthefox.com or rbeck@pga.com
Article submitted by Kirsten Wedegartner
