September 30 2008, Gainesville, FL – TutoringZone announced
today it has installed solar panels to power its 10,000 square foot
tutoring facility. With the energy capacity to power 5 homes,
TutoringZone becomes one of only a handful of commercial solar systems
in the Gainesville area, and the second commercial system in East
Gainesville.
TutoringZone entered into an agreement with Solar Impact (http://www.solarimpact.us), Inc. for a 25
kW solar power system, reducing the fossil fuels required to power the
year-round educational facility near the campus of the University of
Florida. Through an interconnection agreement with Gainesville
Regional Utilities (GRU), energy not used within the TutoringZone
facility will be sold back to GRU as it is produced. “GRU and the
city of Gainesville are very supportive of solar systems, and we’re
encouraged that TutoringZone is one of a number of companies that have
chosen to install a system,” said Rachel Meek, commercial analyst with
GRU.
“This is a small way we can contribute to reducing greenhouse gasses
and carbon emissions and contribute to lower overall energy costs,”
said Ethan Fieldman, President of TutoringZone. The Tutoring Zone
system includes 135 panels that are each 5.5 feet wide.
As of September 1st, there were 36 Photovoltaic (PV) Systems of various
sizes installed in the greater Gainesville area with a total capacity
of 210.48 kW. The TutoringZone system, at 25 kW, increases that
capacity by more than 11%. This, according to the GRU Solar Map (http://www.gru.com/YourHome/Conservation/Energy/solarMaps/) as of September 1st, 2008.
“Moving to renewable energy sources such as solar power makes sense for
the environment as well as our business.“ said Matt Hintze, CEO. “The
timing was perfect for us. Don Davis and the rest of the team at
Capital City Bank made it extremely easy to raise the funds necessary
for the investment. With their help, and incentives from GRU and state
and federal governments, the project made financial sense for us. It’s
fortuitous when circumstances make it easy and profitable to do
something good for the environment.”
"Tutoring Zone exists to serve students, and, now more than ever, UF
students are concerned about sustainability. This project sets a great
example for UF and the entire Gainesville community, and I think
students will definitely appreciate their efforts,” said Adrian
Erlenbach, UF Student Government Secretary of Environmental Affairs.
The new TutoringZone system includes additional hardware and
web-based monitoring software that shows in real time the amount of
power the system is producing, as well as the carbon savings due to
fossil fuel usage being eliminated. This information is always
available on the website www.tutoringzonesolar.com and on an LCD screen in the lobby of TutoringZone and the Naked Bean Café; visitors are welcome.
About Tutoring Zone
TutoringZone is the nation’s largest private tutoring company
specializing in university-specific courses. Providing comprehensive
tutoring services including exam reviews, weekly review sessions,
small-group course tutoring, online resources, and question and answer
sessions, TutoringZone clients include over 10,000 students from the
University of Florida, the University of Georgia, and Florida State
University each semester. TutoringZone also conducts LSAT, GMAT, GRE
and Advance Placement preparation courses. TutoringZone has been
featured in the Orlando Sentinel, The Independent Florida Alligator, the Palm Beach Post, and Florida Alumni
magazine, among others. TZ was named the 2008 East Gainesville
Development Corporation’s Business of the Year and the 2005 Gainesville
Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year. For more information, visit
www.TutoringZone.com.
Contact:
Matt Hintze, CEO
TutoringZone
1010 North Main Street
Gainesville, FL 32601
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www.tutoringzone.com
See Real-Time Solar Production. Just click here!
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