Weight of a Blue Whale

Annieglass Reduces Carbon Footprint by 200 Tons Using Solar

“It was an honor to host Representatives Zoe Lofgren and Jimmy Panetta, State Senator John Laird, Supervisor Felipe Hernandez, and Watsonville Mayor Maria Orozco to celebrate the first anniversary on August 13 of our solar grant and project.

Three years ago, the engineering department at San Jose State University reached out about applying for an Infrastructure Bill grant. Since my glass factory spends more than $100,000 a year on energy, I was eligible to apply. The first round of funding went toward women- and minority-owned businesses, and because my name is Annie, they must have taken a wild guess that it is a woman-owned business.

Today, we are generating 112,000 watts of power to melt glass in 30 ovens, and our costs have dropped by nearly 75%. That’s an incredible difference for a small manufacturer like us.” — Annie Morhauser, Founder & Smithsonian Artist

What began with a call from San Jose State University’s engineering department has turned into one of the most meaningful transformations in the history of Annieglass. Thanks to a $320,000 grant from the Department of Energy, we installed a 16,000-square-foot rooftop solar system with 249 panels. This system generates 1000 watts of power daily, as much energy as the average home uses in a month, to operate the 30 electric ovens used to make Annieglass. This gives us the capacity to produce as many as 60,000 pieces annually.

The federal program reimbursed $160,000 of the cost, which made the solar project possible. Unfortunately, this program was immediately canceled in January of 2024, despite being funded by Congress. We are extremely grateful to have received the grant and to have been reimbursed before the program was canceled.

Our energy bill was a jaw-dropping $83,000 before the switch. In the first 10 months with solar, it was only $11,000. What we expected as a 50% savings has become closer to 75% and the project will pay for itself within just a couple of years.

The ecological impact is also astounding. Cale Garamendi, chief revenue officer at Santa Cruz-based Sandbar Solar, stated that just in its first year, our solar project has prevented enough carbon emissions to equal the weight of a full-grown blue whale or 200 tons!

At Annieglass, we’ve always created with permanence and beauty in mind. Adding solar to our factory is a natural extension of that philosophy — preserving our craft, protecting our environment, and sustaining our team for the future.

Annie Morhauser accepting Congressional Recognition from Zoe Lofgren and Jimmy Panetta
Annie with Zoe Lofgren and Jimmy Panneta, Photo credit: PK Hattis of Santa Cruz Sentinel

Annie Morhauser with Watsonville Mayor Maria Orozco to Celebrate Annieglass's Solar Installation
Annie with Watsonville Mayor Maria Orozco

Construction
Sandbar Solar of Santa Cruz designed and installed the roof system of the facility located at 310 Harvest Drive in Watsonville, CA., with Far West Roofing of Salinas. Solar Plus of Kauai gave technical assistance. West Coast Community Bank provided a line of credit.

Our sustainability page tells the whole solar story!