WILLIAMSTOWN, Vt. -- Pump & Pantry, a convenience store in Williamstown, Vt., has added solar panels as a means of cutting costs by generating energy on-site.
“People probably think it’s odd for a gas station to claim to be environmentally friendly,” said owner Sam Adams. “We went solar because we have a duty to do what we can to be responsible stewards of the environment. Gasoline is a necessity of life here in rural Vermont; we accept that. But it doesn’t mean we can’t do what we can to be more energy- and fuel-efficient.”
Waterbury, Vt.-based SunCommon installed the 200-panel rooftop solar array on the store's roof.
Pump & Pantry’s refrigeration draws large amounts of electricity, costing up to $4,000 per month. Adams chose to shift his power needs to a renewable source such as solar to decrease and stabilize his energy costs.
“People have noticed the array and commented that it’s a good thing to do. We’re proud of that. Maybe our solar array will encourage folks to stop in and shop with us. I think it helps keep our business at the forefront of the technological curve,” he said.
“You know, as a gas station, we sell a lot of fossil fuels,” Adams told WPTZ-TV. “But we think it’s nice to be able to offset some of that by using solar power to power our gas pumps. It’s quite a system, generating over half the electricity for the store. We wanted something that would contribute to the environment as well as contribute to our bottom line.”
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