Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40APRIL 2017 • FOGHORN 13 FOGHORNFOCUS: SHIPBUILDING The new solar panel system will greatly decrease MGBW’s footprint and is expected to reduce annual energy consumption by 81 percent based on past and projected consumption. According to the EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, MGBW’s new solar system will save the equivalent of annual greenhouse gas emissions from 1.2 million miles driven by an average passenger vehicle while offsetting CO2 emissions from 57,002 gallons of gasoline consumed or 540,568 pounds of coal burned. While MGBW has wanted to go solar for the past several years, energy consumption from boat repair was simply not great enough to warrant the investment. However, since MGBW opened its new construction division, increases in manufacturing and pro- duction output made possible by Navy and commercial new-build contracts and facility upgrades made this the right time to do the right thing. The total cost to install the panels was $1.2 million and took about three months to complete and is expected to provide more than $3 million in net savings over the 25-year warranted life of the solar modules. Return on the initial investment is expected to take about five years. MGBW’s commitment to sustain- ability and low impact construction makes them pioneers in the industry, as recognized by the Port of San Diego who awarded MGBW with the 2016 Renewable Energy Sustainability Achievement Award at the recent Port Tenant Green Business Network annual event held on December 7, 2016. In addition to the solar installation, WheelHouse is proud to support Boston Harbor Cruises tracking the maintenance, safety requirements, and documentation for their fleet w w w . W h e e l H o u s e T e c h . c o m - 9 7 8 - 5 6 2 - 5 2 1 1 (ABOVE) Solar panel installation helps San Diego boatbuilders Marine Group Boat Works, LLC, power the construction of boats for the Navy. Photos by Stephen Whalen. MGBW reclaims 100 percent of storm water runoff without discharging any water into the bay. Sandblasting and painting are done in enclosures where all air emissions and dust are recap- tured and when possible, recycled. For the transportation of labor and materials between both of its San Diego facilities, a fleet of electric vehicles and forklifts further reduces the shipyard’s carbon footprint. n (BELOW) MGBW is scheduled to receive an elec- tric forklift funded by a matching grant program under the partnership of the San Diego Tenants Association and SDG&E. Photo by Arask Afsker.