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the Sun, Sapona Ridge Country Club Adds Solar-Paneled Golf Carts
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Richard Childress
adds solar-paneled golf carts at Lexington’s
Sapona Ridge
Country Club, which the NASCAR legend has owned since 2012
Lexington,
NC – August 2016 / Newsmaker Alert / Four years ago, NASCAR legend
Richard Childress added golf to his wide-ranging portfolio of business
interests with the purchase of what is now called Sapona
Ridge Country Club, where Childress has been a member since the 1990s.
In August 2012, the two-time Daytona 500 winner and longtime Chairman and
CEO of Richard Childress Racing purchased the former Sapona Country Club,
nestled in Lexington’s gently rolling hills just off Hwy. 52.
RCR
has a longtime relationship with Dow Solar, a division of Dow Energy and
Water. As a club owner, Childress found himself impressed with one particular
Dow Solar innovation: the company’s FlexsoLyt suite of products, which
includes solar panels for golf cart rooftops. The solar panels ultimately
reduce the amount of electricity needed to charge cart batteries that are
normally plugged into the wall.
“This
technology really caught my attention,” Childress said. “I thought we should
try (solar panels) on our golf carts at Sapona Ridge. Our electric bill
is expensive.”
The
use of solar panels on golf carts is a natural fit because the golf carts
already have batteries installed for energy storage, spend most of the
day outside in the sun and require recharging at night. Others have applied
solar panels to golf carts in the past, but low panel efficiency has limited
the usefulness and payback. Dow Solar’s new product, which the company
has been working on for more than three years, nearly doubles the energy
output as their competitor’s panels previously used.
Childress
also has a strong relationship with Textron and E-Z-GO Golf Carts, so he
placed a call to his friends at both companies. The end result: Dow Solar
recently equipped 21 of Sapona Ridge’s top-of-the-line fleet of E-Z-GO
RXV golf carts with the FlexsoLyt panels. In addition, two carts are equipped
with wireless data collection, as are two carts not incorporating the solar
technology.
Dow
Solar is accessing the data remotely to compare the performance of the
carts with solar to the carts without solar. Based on this data, they measure
exactly how much energy the solar panels provide and how much electricity
they offset. In time, they will better understand how the solar panels
affect battery health and lifetime.
“(The
solar technology) should extend battery life up to one or two years longer,
plus using a lot less electricity,” said Childress. “It’s a green effort
that we’re putting out there. I think you’re going to see a lot of golf
carts using them in the future.”
“E-Z-GO
is always looking for new technologies that can benefit our customers and
our industry, and so it’s exciting to partner with a company like Dow that
is so well known for its legacy and culture of innovation,” said Michael
R. Parkhurst, Vice President, Golf for Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc.,
which designs and manufactures E-Z-GO golf carts. “Being able to partner
with Richard’s club is a bonus. We have a wonderful relationship with RCR
and are very excited about the opportunity at Sapona Ridge.”
The
lightweight solar panel is easy to install, attached to the golf cart roof
using a double-sided adhesive. The panel collects energy from the sun and
transfers that energy to an electronic device called a charge controller.
The charge controller accepts the energy from the solar, converts it to
the voltage that the golf cart batteries operate at and charges the existing
batteries.
“The
low profile, flexible nature of our photovoltaic CIGS cells and peel-and-stick
method of installation create a great looking roof that installs quickly,”
said John McKeen, Dow Solar’s Midland Research & Development Leader.
“We saw this as an opportunity to offset electricity usage required to
recharge the golf carts, to increase battery lifetime, and to potentially
provide additional features on the golf cart such as GPS, phone charging,
etc., without negatively impacting the golf carts ability to complete rounds,
as the added features all use energy from the battery, if solar was not
installed.”
Dow
is also testing solar panels at a golf course in the San Francisco Bay
area. So far, everyone involved has been encouraged by the results.
“E-Z-GO
is very impressed by the early results of field tests of the solar canopy,
and we look forward to working with Dow and the team at Sapona Ridge to
further refine the technology,” said Parkhurst.
“Right
now all indications show it’s going to work great for electric carts,”
said Childress. “All the data they’re seeing makes us think this can be
really successful for E-Z-GO and the entire electric cart industry.”
About
Sapona Ridge Country Club
Sapona
Ridge Country Club is located in Lexington, NC, owned by NASCAR legend
Richard Childress and operationally supported by Charlotte-based Pinnacle
Golf Properties. The Club features an Ellis Maples-designed golf course,
a full service clubhouse and pool facility and personalized special events
services. Our mission is to provide our members and guests with a full
complement of high quality services with state of the art facilities. Our
members and guests enjoy quality amenities enhanced by superior service,
breathtaking views, and a dedicated staff. At Sapona Ridge, we want to
be your “home away from home.”
For
information on our Membership and Member for a Day Programs, please contact
Tammy May at 336-956-6245,
Ext. 125 or visit www.SaponaRidgeCC.com.
Contacts:
David
Taylor
Pinnacle
Golf Properties
704-837-0396
Teresa
Belote,GM
Sapona
Ridge CC
336-956-6245 |
