Solar power added to ingredient list at Maine ice cream shop

Willard Scoops, an ice cream shop in South Portland, Maine, now runs on solar power alone, likely making it the first 100% solar-powered ice cream maker in the state. Owner David Bass-Clark says ice cream making uses a lot of energy, since the shop produces more than 8,000 gallons and serves over 100,000 scoops a year. Solar Power World estimates the rooftop array at 25 to 30 kW, installed by Maine Energy Experts.

The project got financing help from Coastal Enterprises Inc. (CEI), a Maine nonprofit lender that has backed solar installations for more than 81 businesses, farms and community buildings in the state. A CEI representative noted that financing solar swaps unpredictable utility bills for a fixed monthly payment, and once that loan is paid off, the panels keep producing power for decades more.

The solar system is part of a larger sustainability push at the shop, which also switched to compostable cups and spoons over the past year, diverting an estimated 15,000 pounds of waste annually through a composting partnership. For homeowners, the underlying math is the same one that applies to a house: paying for solar panels upfront or through financing trades a variable utility bill for a predictable payment, and the equipment keeps generating electricity long after that payment is done. Anyone weighing solar for their own roof can look into similar financing options, since programs like CEI's are often available to homeowners as well as businesses, though details vary by state and lender.