Plantd Unveils Solar Project to Power Sustainable Building Practices

OXFORD, N.C., September 20, 2024 (Newswire.com)
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Plantd, an advanced production company specializing in carbon-negative building materials made from fast-growing perennial grass, announced plans today to establish solar farms to power its current and future production facilities.

The first project will feature an approximate 30-acre solar farm that will leverage leading-edge technology to generate about 25% more electricity than required for Plantd’s manufacturing operations. It is Plantd’s hope that this excess energy will be provided back to the local community at a highly subsidized cost, thus drastically reducing living expenses for residents while further advancing the company’s goal to create a carbon-negative way of life.

The solar farms will power Plantd’s innovative production facilities, which utilize 100% electric technologies to manufacture high-performance structural materials made from perennial grasses. Plantd’s materials outperform traditional timber-based materials in cost, carbon removal, and performance and can be used in home building and furniture manufacturing to reduce those industries’ overall carbon footprint.

“Construction is one of the largest contributors to global pollution. But energy – like producing electricity – is number one. I don’t believe in tackling one problem by worsening another, such as what we see in the automotive industry with electric cars. Producing sustainable building materials is a pivotal first step. Still, it won’t be enough if the energy used to power those production operations continues to pollute the environment,” says Nathan Silvernail, co-founder and co-CEO at Plantd. “By powering our operations with 100% clean energy, we’re reducing our footprint across the board, not just shifting the burden and hoping someone else will grab the baton.”

Currently, Plantd’s structural materials remain over 80% carbon negative while using modern-day grid power and accounting for all processes from initial planting to final delivery to the customer’s doorstep. Once the solar farms are operational, moving to solar will enable Plantd to reach nearly 100% carbon negativity in the end-use product. 

Plantd has taken a first-principles approach to materials manufacturing to eliminate unnecessary steps and pollution-heavy processes. Unlike timber companies that omit the most carbon-intensive steps in their manufacturing processes from their environmental impact analysis in order to claim their products are “carbon-negative,” Plantd’s primary focus is to create genuinely carbon-negative materials that solve the problem. 

Solar energy is just the beginning. Looking ahead, Plantd’s long-term vision includes building a self-sustaining city powered by solar, wind, and wave energy. By harnessing multiple renewable energy sources, the company aims to minimize the environmental burden of both electricity generation and building materials manufacturing – addressing two major global polluters simultaneously.

About Plantd

Plantd develops advanced production technologies to manufacture carbon-negative building materials using fast-growing perennial grass instead of trees. Through its cultivation of a new agricultural supply chain to its development of all-electric, modular, automated production technology, Plantd transforms past atmospheric carbon emissions into superior-performance building materials that lower costs for builders and reverse the effects of climate change. Learn more at https://www.plantdmaterials.com.

Source: Plantd