Alamo Candy Co. installs solar panels on retail store, office

Solar systems expected to save $750,000 over 25 years.

San Antonio, Texas-based Alamo Candy Co. has installed solar panels on the roofs of its retail store and office building with the goal of saving $750,000 over the next 25 years. Submitted photo.

Alamo Candy Co. is seeing green.

The San Antonio, Texas-based company recently installed two solar projects that will cover the majority of Alamo Candy’s energy needs and save the company $750,000 over the next 25 years.

Alamo has installed a 280-panel, 100.8-kilowatt solar array on the rooftop of Alamo Candy’s retail shop at 2738 Blanco Rd. and a 240-panel, 86.4-kilowatt system on the company’s office at 1149 W. Hildebrand Ave. Both were designed by Texas-based Freedom Solar Power.

The retail store solar array will offset 73 percent of Alamo Candy’s energy needs, and the office’s solar array will offset 100 percent of the building’s energy needs. Combined, Alamo Candy’s solar arrays will annually produce 271,606 kilowatt-hours of electricity — the equivalent of 70 tons of waste being recycled or 22,745 gallons of gasoline consumed.

Each system will pay for itself in roughly five years.

“As our veteran-owned family business continues to grow, we are excited to also be a part of the growing energy conservation effort in San Antonio,” say Alamo co-founders Felix and Juana Samame. “We strongly believe switching to solar energy, with the help of Freedom Solar, is just one more way we can better serve our customers, employees and hometown.”

Kyle Frazier, Freedom Solar director of sales, says the company designs solar systems that fit each customer’s specific needs.

“More and more businesses like Alamo Candy Co. are looking at their energy needs with a long-term perspective,” he said. “Solar reduces long-term operating costs and paves the way for businesses to be more profitable and environmentally friendly. Alamo Candy has joined a growing list of visionary companies that have the foresight to plan ahead for the future of their businesses, customers and employees, and our environment.”

Alyse Thompson has held many positions with BNP Media, first serving as an intern at Candy Industry Magazine in summer 2012. She joined Candy Industry's staff full time as associate editor in August 2016 after a few years at newspapers in West-Central Illinois, becoming managing editor in March 2019. Alyse has also served as managing editor of Cannabis Products Magazine since March 2019. She has bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Spanish from Western Illinois University.