BURNSVILLE, N.C. — Family-owned electronics repair company Mountain Electronics has made big changes to increase its work output while decreasing its environmental impact, the business says.
Its latest move is the installation of a photovoltaic solar array that provides about half of the company’s electricity needs.
Mountain Electronics has been performing quality repairs on circuit boards for commercial washers and dryers since 1999.
The 15.7-kW solar installation is made up of 48 highly rated SunPower solar panels. These panels, Mountain Electronics says, have won awards for efficiency and durability, and so will provide more clean electricity for a longer period than the average solar panel.
Environmental stewardship has always been a tenet of the company located outside of a rural town in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Mountain Electronics says it employs many methods to reduce its environmental footprint, including:
- Using biodegradable soap and non-toxic microbes rather than harsh chemicals to clean circuit boards;
- Reusing boxes and packaging material whenever possible;
- Printing on 100% recycled paper;
- Packing repaired boards in biodegradable and recycled Geami paper and cornstarch peanuts;
- Recycling components from control boards that are not repairable; and
- Using LED and compact fluorescent lighting to minimize energy consumption.
To meet growing demands for laundry equipment electronics repair, Mountain Electronics has hired five new employees this year, each specializing in a different area of cleaning, repairing and shipping boards back to customers in a timely manner.
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