KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – The grass isn’t the only thing that’s green at Bar K Dog Bar.
The two-acre fenced-in dog park and bar at Berkley Riverfront Park recently partnered with Kansas City-based SunSmart Technologies, who worked to install 27 solar panels on the business’ unique shipping container structures. The panels were installed during Bar K’s construction in 2018, making good on the dog park’s mission to make an impact.
“From the beginning, we wanted to put solar on the property because it’s part of our mission, and we wanted to have a green, sustainable business,” Bar K Co-Founder Dave Hensley said. “The impact you can have individually is important, but it’s so minuscule to the impact you can have as a business. If you’re able to build a business from scratch, why not build it to be sustainable?”
Bar K is home to 68,400 square feet of off-leash dog parks, 5,000 square feet of restaurant, coffee shop and bar space, and a grooming salon and retail section. The solar project was unique in terms of size, location and structure, and despite the complications that accompany building a small power plant on a property like this, SunSmart was able to engineer a unique system to ensure the solution was successful for Bar K.
The project was large enough to cover about 5% of Bar K’s needs, generating nearly 9,500 kilowatt-hours, which is equivalent to:
- 753 gallons of gasoline consumed,
- 7,319 pounds of coal burned, or
- 853,734 smartphones charged.
“A lot of people strive to be sustainable, but few put in the work to make it happen,” said SunSmart Founder and CEO Karlo Meave. “We walk the walk, serving as a partner in every sense of the word because we share in our customers’ mission to create a better world. Sustainability isn’t always easy to achieve, but when all parties involved are committed to making it happen, the result will be a good one.”
Founded in 2012 and serving the greater Kansas City region, SunSmart is an energy company working to reshape how the world thinks about power, partnering with commercial, industrial and residential customers to save money while helping the planet. From design and engineering to installation, SunSmart’s start-to-finish service is built on the latest technology, untethering businesses and individuals from oppressive energy prices.
About Bar K
Bar K recently celebrated its first year in business and was recently named “America’s Coolest” pet business of 2019 by PETS+ Magazine. As the business considers “fetching” more locations in St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Minneapolis and Nashville, Hensley said Bar K expects SunSmart’s solar panels to be an integral part of future locations. For more information about SunSmart Technologies, visit sunsmartusa.com, and for more on Bar K, visit barkdogbar.com.
About SunSmart Technologies
Founded in 2012 and serving the greater Kansas City region, SunSmart Technologies is more than solar— we’re an energy company working to reshape how we all think about power. We work as a partner with commercial, industrial and residential customers to save money while we also help the planet.