Tempus Technologies installs solar field
By Dave Kurtz | KPC Media - The Star
A new solar field now stands on Auburn’s west side, and it could be just the start of an energized future for the former Auburn Foundry site.
Tempus Technologies has installed nearly 900 solar panels immediately west of its headquarters at 11th and Phillip streets. The company also has purchased the entire 11-acre site of the former foundry, after first buying the foundry’s office building in 2016.
Since moving from downtown Auburn in 2017, the company has grown to 93 employees, adding 25 this year.
The solar panels will meet approximately 75 percent of Tempus’ energy use, said Jeremy Pfister, executive vice president and general counsel for the company.
“We as a company have a commitment to the community and environment,” Pfister said.
A grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and tax incentives for implementing alternative energy helped make the project possible.
Tempus’ customers — some of the nation’s largest retailers and health care providers — also will take an interest in the solar project.
“They want to know about what you’re doing to offset your energy consumption and carbon footprint,” Pfister said.
Tempus Technologies’ products provide payment gateways and software, Pfister said, adding, “We allow our customers to accept multiple forms of payment, including credit card, debit card, check, online and even mobile payments.”
Plans call for connecting the new solar panels and generating power by mid-January, he said.
The system consists of 28 arrays, with 32 solar panels per array, designed to track the sun in the southern sky. It can generate 336,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year..
“The city of Auburn has been great to work with on this project,” Pfister said. “I’ve been impressed at their willingness to think outside the box on a project like this.” He specifically credited Auburn Electric utility Superintendent Chris Schweitzer, Director of Building, Planning and Development Amy Schweitzer and Mayor Norm Yoder.
The solar panels occupy 1.23 acres west of the Tempus Technologies office. The company worked with AgTechnologies of Rochester to install them on the former concrete floor of the foundry.
“AgTechnologies welcomed the opportunity to work with innovators at Tempus Technologies to install this high-efficiency system. The cutting-edge reporting of energy provided will ensure maximum uptime production at minimal post-installation cost,” said Eric Straeter, AgTechnologies Inc.’s vice president of solar energy sales and support.
On the remaining former foundry property, “We’re developing plans to try to revitalize the site, both for Tempus Technologies’ own expansion needs and possibly other things for the community,” Pfister said. The company expects to reveal more detailed plans in the future.
