Graniterock, Local Activists Launch Huge Solar Project

A solar power farm at Graniterock in Aromas. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian

AROMAS—The community of Aromas is home to about 2,650 residents. The rural area is nestled in the juncture between Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties, and attracts a variety of people, including many retirees, artists, farmers, nature lovers and activists. 

But is also home to one of the region’s largest companies and consumers of electricity, Graniterock.  

The contrast of Graniterock’s influence and the small community nearby has led to some disagreements over the years. However, a recent project involving both is showing just how much can be accomplished when the two work together.

In mid-March, Graniterock launched a massive, $15 million solar project. When complete, the 5-megawatt solar farm will include 15,000 photovoltaic solar panels on a 20-acre plot, and will power more than 60% of operations on the 121-year-old A.R. Wilson Quarry. The move will take both the company and Aromas one step closer to net-zero sustainability.

And it may not have happened without the backing and input of local environmental activists. In 2017, Seth Capron, a longtime Aromas resident and activist who is also vice chair of the Community Advisory Council for Central Coast Community Energy, met with Ben Eichert and Daniel Nelson of Greenpower, an arm of environmental justice nonprofit the Romero Institute.

The three discussed how they could transform Aromas into a net-zero community, and realized that starting with Graniterock would be a meaningful first step. Net-zero, used in this context, refers to achieving a balance between the greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere and those taken out.

Continue reading the full story by Johanna Miller in The Pajaronian