Amonix has announced their facilities in California and Nevada have won gold-level certification for their low environmental impact construction, and high energy and water efficiency from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

With the direction of sustainability and energy advisers, Collaborative Project Consulting, Amonix' headquarters in Seal Beach, Calif., and its production facility in North Las Vegas, Nev., both earned the internationally recognized Gold Certification in 2011, adding a total of almost 300,000 square feet to the world's inventory of buildings that consume the absolute minimum energy and water.

LEED certification grades buildings on a broad range of energy efficiency and CO2 reduction factors. Buildings are rated in 13 environmental impact categories, including climate change, indoor environmental quality, resource depletion and water intake.

Amonix manufactures its MegaModule CPV systems at the 214,000 square foot North Las Vegas facility, which encompasses office and production space.

As part of the LEED certification, eight of the Amonix CPV solar systems will supply 100 percent of the North Las Vegas facility's energy needs, or approximately 2,500 megwatt hours (MWhs) per year.

The facility will produce CPV systems that will generate 375,000 MWhs per year, or 9 million MWhs over their effective lifetime.

Using solar energy to power a solar equipment manufacturing facility is similar in concept to a "breeder reactor" in the nuclear sector - the manufacturing plant will produce equipment capable of generating several thousand times as much energy in its lifetime as the manufacturing facility itself consumes, using solar power to make more solar power.

Additionally, North Las Vegas' lighting arrays exceed LEED requirements by 15 to 20 percent. High-performance plumbing fixtures at both facilities decrease water usage 41 percent compared to conventional buildings and more than 70 percent of Amonix' equipment and appliances are ENERGY STAR certified.

Amonix' business and engineering operations are based at the Seal Beach location, a rehabilitated 78,000 square foot facility that won LEED Gold Certification in Feb. 2011.

The Seal Beach facility earned the maximum score for its lighting system designs, which minimize wasted ambient light by focusing on work areas rather than common spaces by installing tubular "daylighting" devices bring natural light into dark spaces.

"Our two 'green' building efforts stand as everyday symbols of our commitment to producing high efficiency, low cost solar power systems and reducing our environmental impact," said Brian Robertson, CEO of Amonix.

"The LEED certification process is rewarding and proves that balancing economic advantage with sustainability is achievable."