FAYETTEVILLE — New solar panels at a Fayetteville Eureka Pizza could help Rolf Wilkin keep prices down and cut expenses.
Wilkin, who owns Eureka Pizza, said he'll receive his first electric bill reflecting use of power from the solar panels by next week. He expects to save a few hundred dollars each month at the 826 Leverett St. location.
Wilkin said those savings could help keep prices low during times of inflation. Savings could also go toward hiring more people if business increases, he said. The Leverett Street Eureka Pizza employs 26.
The 40 panels were installed on Eureka Pizza’s roof June 13 and have been operational since
At A Glance
How Solar Panels Work
The sun emits photons, the particles that form light. Solar panels use photovoltaic cells, which convert photons into electricity. The cells are made from two layers of silicon. Photons from the sunlight knock electrons loose from atoms in the silicon. An electric field at the bottom layer of the cells pushes the electrons to the top layer of silicon and into metal conductor strips. The metal strips then transfer the electrons through wires, then to a converter to switch the electricity from direct current to alternating current and into a building for use.
Source: Staff Report
Web Watch
To view the progress of Eureka Pizza’s solar panels, go to monitoring.solaredge.com/solaredge-web//public?name=World%20Famous%20Eureka%20Pizza
June 17, Wilkin said. One-half to two-thirds of the building’s power is coming from the panels.
The panels are positioned on the west side of the roof because that area gets the most sunlight in the afternoon, said John Gerrard, owner of Sun City Solar Energy, the company that installed the panels. Eureka Pizza gets more business in the afternoon and evening and uses more electricity at that time.
Any unused energy — created when the panels produce more than the business needs — will go into the power grid, the source of electricity for the public, Wilkin said.
“Everything we put in is used by our neighbors,” he said.
Many people who want solar panels can’t afford them, Gerrard said. The federal government and power companies offer rebates and tax breaks to those who install panels. Incentives often aren’t received until a year after the panels are installed.
The system cost $40,000, with each solar panel costing about $1,000, Wilkin said. Southwestern Electric Power Co. will give Wilkin $8,000. He gets $4,000 after the first month with the panels, and the other $4,000 after the first year of operation, he said.
Eureka Pizza also will receive a 30 percent, or $12,000, tax credit for installing the panels, Wilkin said. Wilkin can write off the remaining cost of the panels on his taxes as a business expense. He expects to make back his investment on the cost of the panels in about five years, he said.
Gerrard said the number of people asking his company for solar panels for their businesses and homes has doubled every year since 2010. Solar panels also have gone down in price over the past few years.
The average price of electricity in the United States increased by 35 percent from 2001 to 2012, according to an email from Susan DeVico, press officer with the Solar Energy Industries Association. The average price of solar electric systems decreased by about 70 percent during the same period.
Most electricity in Arkansas is generated in coal-burning plants, said Frank Kelly, chairman of the Arkansas Renewable Energy Association. Energy prices go up when the plants have to be updated to meet clean air regulations. Installing solar panels is a good way to be prepared for increases in energy prices, he said.
Installing the panels began as a business decision, but morphed into a way to bring awareness to renewable energy, Wilkin said. Many customers have shown interest in the new panels.
Wilkin said he also will set up a computer in the Leverett Street store so customers can see how much electricity the panels are producing while waiting for their food.
He’s thinking about placing solar panels at other Eureka Pizza locations. There are nine locations in Northwest Arkansas. The next location to get panels would be the Eureka Pizza on Thompson Street in Springdale, he said.
Solar power “is the future,” he said. “It’s a novelty for now, but it won’t be for long.”