ULINE Tackles Financial Goals With Massive Solar Rooftop

Started in Liz and Dick Uihlein’s Illinois basement in 1980, ULINE is a privately held and family-owned distributor of shipping and packaging supplies. The company services North America with distribution centers spanning New York, California, Mexico, and Canada.

The Challenge

Shrink a Leading Shipping Supply Distributor’s Operating Costs

Like many other companies with large multinational footprints, ULINE was looking to reduce its operating costs in the face of increasingly volatile grid energy prices. Distribution centers are exceptional candidates for solar thanks to their long, flat roofs with strong sun exposure — and ULINE needed a developer that could help them take full advantage of the opportunity.

PowerFlex’s Solution

A Large-Scale Rooftop Solar Energy System That Offsets Electricity Expenses

INSTALLATION TYPE

Rooftop Solar

TOTAL SYSTEM SIZE

6.6 MW

LOCATION

Ontario, CA

ANNUAL ENERGY PRODUCTION

11.1 million kWh

INCENTIVES

Southern California Edison Option E • Solar Investment Tax Credit

PowerFlex designed and constructed a large-scale solar energy system atop the roof of ULINE’s 1.2-million-square-foot facility in Ontario, California.

Consisting of 15,318 individual solar modules, the 6.6-megawatt (MW) system is capable of generating more than 11 million kilowatt-hours (kWH) of clean electricity annually. ULINE leverages this free energy to help power its onsite operations, reducing its reliance on the grid and resulting in significant year-over-year utility bill savings.

PowerFlex also helped ULINE secure strong project economics by leveraging Southern California Edison’s Option E solar-friendly tariff in addition to the solar Investment Tax Credit — a dollar-for-dollar federal tax reduction equal to 26% of the total system cost.

ULINE will enjoy energy savings for the lifetime of the solar energy system, which is typically 25 years or more.