Maine is well known for its American lobster, foggy coastlines dotted with historic lighthouses, and vibrant fishing villages, but it also has a secret treasure that serves a warm cup of the nation's favorite beverage. Nestled in Tapsham, Maine, is Wicked Joe Organic Coffees.
The coffee roasting company was founded in 2003 with the philosophy of ensuring their practices are sustainable for both business operations and the environment. NASA’s Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) project helps the company reach their sustainable ambitions by working with the RETScreen® Clean Energy Management Software and providing critical environmental data to support such user decisions.
Wicked Joe sought out a way to warm their production space in a way that lowers their carbon footprint while also serving as a cost-effective solution. The solution was to install a solar wall to cut down on heating costs.
A solar wall is a way to passively heat a building, home, or in this case, a 20,000-square-foot space to process coffee. A solar wall utilizes solar energy to warm incoming air that is then pulled through the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) unit to be released into the space.
Wicked Joe used RETScreen software, which pulls in POWER solar and meteorological data, to help in the planning and modeling for the solar wall. Wicked Joe used irradiance, wind, temperature, and precipitation data integrated with RETScreen’s feasibility analysis module.
The company has estimated the solar wall saves about 40% on heat savings which equates to approximately $10,000 a year. These savings allow Wicked Joe to maintain an affordable price tag on its organic coffee beans and grounds, so people save when they buy from their local grocery store.
