OUR SOLAR POWERED FACTORY

by Wagner Skis / Nov 23, 2020

Wagner Skis Becomes the First Solar-Powered Ski Factory

Wagner Skis is committed to doing things right, whether that means custom-designing skis or running operations in a responsible way. To that end, the Telluride, Colo.-based factory just announced it has become the first 100% solar-powered ski factory.

Time lapse of solar panel install at the Wagner Custom Ski Factory

“As a skier, obviously I want it to snow,” said Pete Wagner, founder of Wagner Skis. “And I want to do our part to minimize climate change and set an example of how businesses can minimize their impact. We can now say Wagner Skis are made in the U.S. by skiers in a solar-powered ski factory. I think that’s pretty cool.” 

Wagner installed a 3.1 kilowatt net-metered photovoltaic solar system on the roof of the factory, which is located in Mountain Village. The system doesn’t offset 100% of their power, so Wagner supplements the remainder from the  Last Dollar Community Solar Garden,Telluride’s first locally owned community solar garden, which works in cooperation with San Miguel Power Association. The solar farm, founded by local Tim Erdman on his own land, contains about 800 panels and is located just north of Telluride Regional Airport.

In addition to the solar power initiative, Wagner Skis places an emphasis on using renewable materials whenever possible, sources materials from local and U.S. companies, and recycles as much scrap as possible. “We don’t claim to be perfect, but as a manufacturer, the things we really focus on are energy conservation, minimizing our carbon footprint through the materials we use and how we source them, and focusing on waste-stream reduction,” Wagner said. 

The solar installation is the first in the Mountain Village core. “It’s cool that you can see it—we’re producing our power on our roof. We’re hoping this is going to inspire other businesses to do this sort of thing.” 

 

Want to know more about our factory and how we make the best skis in the world? Take our Factory Tour.

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