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Ohio business saves money and produce with solar energy

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Glass Rooster Cannery in Sunbury, Ohio, makes sure nothing goes to waste, including the sun that shines down on their barn. The cannery and commercial kitchen helps local farmers turn their excess produce into shelf-stable products. This way, they can continue to sell them throughout the winter—with the help of solar power.  

Owners Jeannie and Bill Seabrook also operate a sustainable farm and events space on the property. It hosts kids’ camps, weddings, and corporate events.

“What we’re trying to create here is an oasis,” Jeannie says. A no-waste spirit and a desire to create an environmentally conscious gathering place led to the installation of a solar array in 2023.

Jeannie had been interested in going solar for some time, but as the owner of a rural agri-business, was challenged by the cost. Things changed in 2023. She learned about federal incentives that could lower the capital investment. “We knew that there was a 30 percent tax credit, so this was the year to begin getting really serious about it,” she said. The decision was solidified when she found they’d be eligible for grant funding through the Renewable Energy for America Program (REAP). “It kicked us over the edge for sure,” she shared.

The system installed by the cannery is designed to meet all of their energy needs.  They will pay it off in about five years, thanks to the federal incentives provided by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

“Practically the first thing [guests] see when they walk onto the property is the barn with the solar staring at them.

Having eliminated their electric bill, Glass Rooster is putting their savings to good use elsewhere. “Everybody at camp this year got a raise,” says Jeannie. “All of my teenage counselors are thrilled to be making a living wage.” They’ve also built a new house on the property, equipped with geothermal heat pumps and primed for a future solar array.

Jeannie and Bill have established a business that seeks to serve their community today and leave a lasting, positive impact on its future. “We recognize that a lot of the things that we do today aren’t really benefits to us today, although solar is,” shares Jeannie. Solar has slotted neatly into the wider mission of Glass Rooster Cannery.

“There should be a certain level of responsibility that we all hold for stepping out and doing what we can, and this is what we can.” If you’d like to learn more about going solar and how you can take advantage of incentives, download SUN’s Go Solar guide.

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