In May, [Bob Blundon, president of Madison Earth Care] replaced his landscaping company’s gas-powered weed trimmers and blowers with electric ones. He had the 327-watt solar panels installed atop the work trailer, and he bought a propane, zero-turn mower.
“We’re trying to put together a green trailer,” he said. “Instead of going twice a week to the gas station, we are going once every two weeks.”
A shift to renewable power, like Blundon’s, has been increasingly common for homes and businesses across the state. But harnessing the sun for work tools, instead of a grid-connected building, is a rare application.
“Solar ticked all the boxes,” Blundon said. “Lower maintenance costs, greater reliability, reduced energy bills, less downtime for broken equipment, it all adds up to savings.”
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