Cantsink, a building stability manufacturing plant, recently earned the approval and financial backing of the U.S. Department of Agriculture because of the company’s dedication to solar energy. and subsequently a Grant for Solar Power.
Cantsink, which has locations in Winder and Lilburn, switched to solar power last year. “We bought into solar,” said company president Pat Hutchinson. “We’re trying to be as green as we can.”
The company produces steel helical piles, a foundation support that screws into the ground for the solar power panels and can be removed as needed. Unlike cement and other foundational supports, Hutchinson said the piles do not displace or pollute the soil they are placed in.
Cantsink has also developed a method for using the helical piles to support ground mounted solar panels, and uses a combination of ground and roof mounted panels at the Winder plant for increased solar power output.
Because of its conversion to solar power, Cantsink was eligible for funds through the USDA’s Rural Development Renewable Energy for America Program (REAP). In a ceremony, USDA State Director Donnie Thomas presented Hutchinson with a check for over $148,000 grant for solar power research and development.
