icon next to each of them.
When Meddle building owner Todd Cowing held a drawing to see which business would benefit from planned rooftop solar panels, it was Ben & Jerry's that won out. Maybe it was because sun and ice cream just go together. Other businesses located in the Meddle Building, which sits on the corner of NW Everett Street and 10th Avenue, include Teardrop Lounge, Cupcake Jones, and Bishop's Barber Shop.
The panels, which won't be installed until after they make way through the City's permit approval process, should eventually fulfill 25-30% of the ice cream store's energy requirements, estimates Ben & Jerry's franchise owner Bruce Kaplan. "If we had a bigger roof, it'd be more," and extend to the other businesses. "But we don't have a lot of available roof space with the H-VAC system up there."
The panels won't be visible from the street level, but a display or monitor will be hung in Ben & Jerry's in the future, so that customers can see the benefit of renewable energy as they enjoy a dish of Chubby Hubby ice cream.
To Kaplan's knowledge, no other Portland retailer is using solar panels, although Powell's City of Books expressed interesting in solar power when it rolled out plans for a remodeled main entrance last year.
Last year, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) installed solar panels on land in Tualatin as a way of meeting a State mandate to fulfill all of its energy needs through renewable sources by 2010.
According to Wikipedia, covering 4% of the planet's deserts with solar technology could supply the world's electricity.
Ben & Jerry's is in good company: Lucky Lab in NW Portland has solar panels on its rooftop. I wonder if solar power is shining on any other Portland retailers? (tip of the hat to NW neighbor Mike Ryerson!)