Piana Technology, the 442-year-old Italian-made textile company renowned for its innovations in the fiber and nonwovens markets, announces it has offset its energy consumption at its nonwovens facility in Cartersville, GA, by 100%. Piana Technology’s expanded solar panel system has made it possible for its nonwovens facility to operate at net zero energy.

“This is an exciting milestone for our ongoing sustainability goals, and it will set a new high bar for all of our manufacturing facilities,” says Andrea Piana, CEO of Piana Technology. “At Piana, we always consider the environment and our impact in everything we do. We know we’re creating a blueprint for other companies and manufacturers to follow. This is the future. You can do it better and do it greener.”

The expanded photovoltaic (PV) system became operational this month. With two additional upgrades, Piana Technology’s grid electricity consumption is now offset by 100%. Any solar overproduction is fed back into the city’s grid, contributing to the local energy supply. The two expanded systems add an extra 1,244,564 kWh per year to the facility’s production capability. This will enable the company to avoid an additional 920 tons of CO2 emissions per year, equivalent to the carbon sequestration of 250 acres of trees.

Piana Technology collaborated with Southern View Energy, a local solar electrical design and installation company, to bring this project to fruition. Their careful design and construction of this project was a massive boon for the company’s sustainability initiatives.