Ice cream from the sun

HONESDALE, PA — Invisible from the street below, solar installations like this one on the roof of Gravity Alley Ice Cream Shop in Honesdale, PA are being increasingly installed. Now ice cream lovers can get their favorite confection created from sun power at the Sixth Street business. The shop generates enough energy to power itself, due in part to energy conservation practices. Owner Martin Young noted that saving energy saves money. “Going green is the right thing to do—for the planet and for people. It is also very cost-justifiable right now. A solar PV system will pay for itself in five or six years and provide internal return over 15 years of about 18 to 20%. Many of our customers look to an investment in solar as a great investment when compared to other low risk investments such as CDs or bonds.” Before installing solar, Young cut the electricity use of his shop in half by implementing a number of changes, including increasing wall insulation, using high-efficiency furnaces and installing a programmable thermostat. He plans to add enough solar panels to offset most of his remaining energy needs.

Young is also the proprietor of Gravity Solar, which has installed 22 systems using approximately 900 solar panels in PA. Gravity Alley is one of 11 businesses participating in Wayne Businesses Conserve! (WBC!), a pilot project sponsored by Sustainable Energy Education and Development Support (SEEDS), Wayne Workforce and PPL Electric Utilities. WBC! aims to recognize the energy conservation efforts of local businesses, share simple, affordable and economically sound conservation techniques and raise awareness about a sustainable energy future. Each WBC! participant has met established criteria in six different categories: energy conservation, renewable power, transportation, water conservation, purchasing and waste prevention and recycling and composting. Contact wbc.seeds@gmail.com for more information.