Small Engine Warehouse joins trend seeking more sunshine power in Delaware County for 2022 – The Star Press
MUNCIE, Ind. — Solar power is hot, pardon the expression, in Delaware County right now.
While two energy companies are eying farmland in the northern part of the county and the city of Muncie has been pressing ahead with plans for a solar field at the site of a former General Motors plant in the central part of the city, one local business is adding solar to its energy mix.
Small Engine Warehouse, 4023 S. Walnut St., has added a 644-panel solar field to its south side property in an effort to offset electrical costs for daily operations and decrease the company’s overall carbon footprint.
“There are so many benefits of using solar energy for our company. As individuals, we also feel like this project improves our community,” Small Engine Warehouse’s general manager Scott Vance said in a release.
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The company began by seeking an alternate source of energy for its large building during power outages, but the system it chose uses the solar generated power to provide credits to offset the power used from the local grid rather than serving as an emergency source of electricity. Company officials first thought of solar as an option when they heard of a church that installed a similar, though smaller, solar field with the intention of reducing energy consumption from the electrical grid. Small Engine Warehouse confirmed the potential after meeting with SolarCam, a Rochester-based solar energy company.
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Small Engine Warehouse installed the field in a previously unused part of the company’s property. There are 23 ground mount solar arrays, each 13-feet-by-46-feet in size. The total solar panel count is 644. The electrical capacity of the field is 276.9 kilowatts.
“We have invested in a 30-year solution in a renewable energy for a reasonable cost, with low maintenance and a good warranty to back it up,” Vance said. “The solar field is reliable, creates zero pollution, offsets our energy costs, and we still consider the land used as ‘green’ space. It has changed that neglected land with no purpose to a clean area that harvests the sun’s energy and benefits our community.”
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Not all local solar projects are being embraced. Farmers, residents and school officials in Washington Township have gathered in opposition to plans to create a 3,000 acre solar farm north of Gaston. Opponents say the solar farm will change the face of the county’s countryside while taking farmland out of production.
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David Penticuff is the local government reporter at the Star Press. Contact him at dpenticuff@gannett.com.
