Above: Fairmont Ford recently installed 160 solar panels on its roof. The company is Fairmont's third company with a solar power system.

Fairmont-Fairmont Ford recently installed solar panels on the roof of its building. Solar power generation system will save costs in the future, and because it obtains clean and pure energy from solar energy, it is also better for the environment.

The company has joined the few companies in the community that have solar systems. The Chief Executive of Fairmont City, Cathy Reynolds, said that two other companies in the community have solar power systems and are connected to the city's power grid. She said that there are also two personal systems connected to the city.

Reynolds said that Fairmont Ford was Fairmont's first car dealership to obtain solar panels and the first company to install them on the roof of a building.

Fairmont Ford is a fourth-generation company, and Teresa (Kloeckner) Haycraft is its general manager. She and her brother Paul Kloeckner said that they have long been considering a solar power system. Haycraft said that a few years ago, she watched a webinar through the National Automobile Dealers Association, which encouraged car dealers to install solar panels on the roof.

"It doesn't take up any space, and we use a lot of electricity every day, so this is what they recommend to car dealers," Highcraft said. =

She said the federal tax credits they receive will be reduced in 2023, so if they plan to do so, they might as well do it now.

Haycraft said they ordered these panels in July. Kloeckner said the wiring will take about a week, but once the panels come in, it will take about half a day to install all 160 panels on the roof.

The city came to the transformer box last week so that if it generates more electricity than it uses, it will return to the city.

But Haycraft doesn't think they will have surplus electricity, especially with the advent of electric vehicles.

"All automakers are getting involved in electric vehicles, so we know that we will have more electricity demand in the future," Highcraft said.

"Our electricity demand will rise. Kloeckner said that instead of going to a gas station to refuel each car, we will have to plug in the power here and charge each car before it leaves.

He said that by 2025, 10% of Ford's sales are expected to be electric vehicles. From a larger perspective, Reuters predicts that by 2030, electric vehicles will account for about 24% of global sales.

Haycraft shared some statistics on carbon footprint and solar panel systems they obtained from Green Energy in Springfield, Minnesota.

She said that their solar panels should last 40 years, during which Fairmont Ford’s footprint will eliminate 3,036 tons of carbon dioxide. This is equivalent to planting 70,739 trees or recycling 9,594 tons of waste instead of sending it to a landfill.

The benefits of solar power systems are many. Haycraft said it makes sense to them because they have a large roof footprint.

She said: "It will take several years to pay, but once we do, all the electricity we generate can be used, so we should cut energy bills by about 50%."

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