'Sunshine is free': Whitefish hardware store taps into solar power

Montana's sunny weather could not have come at a better time for Nelson's Ace Hardware. The store on U.S. 93 South in Whitefish recently installed 78 solar panels across its south-facing roof to provide the shop with sustainable energy.

The panels are expected to cover just over a quarter of the store's energy needs.

"The reality is it's the right thing to do," said Mariah Joos, the third-generation owner of the hardware store.

When Ace moved into the new space in March 2019, the new building was equipped with the wires to eventually incorporate solar power into its operations.

But it took hard work and patience to finally get the solar system running.

"We wanted to build in a way that would support these kinds of initiatives," Joos said. "The timing was just not right at that time."

Nonetheless, Joos never gave up on her solar goal.

She saw it as a budget-friendly, responsible change to make for the business.

"We very firmly believe that we all need to do more to support local grids," Joos said. "If we could have everybody putting solar up, our energy resiliency is huge."

After all, she pointed out: "We have the sunshine. Sunshine is free."

But making use of that natural resource took more work than simply flipping a switch.

NELSON'S APPLIED for federal tax credits and a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help defray the overhead costs of going solar.

Joos said it was "daunting" to get started on the process.

Fortunately, she found help close by.

Christy Cummings Dawson, now the president and CEO of Montana West Economic Development, assisted with navigating the federal applications processes.

"[She] made it super easy to walk through the federal process," Joos said.

And Northstone Solar, a Whitefish nonprofit, provided further assistance, as well as the boots-on-the-roof work to install all 78 panels.

"Those guys are the rock stars," Joos said of the Northstone team.

The project was nothing new for Northstone's Lee Calhoun, who lives in a zero-emissions house and spends his days encouraging other locals to go solar.

Northstone Solar typically installs three solar systems each year, but the hardware store installation was the nonprofit's largest project to date.

It's an indicator of the growing interest in solar power Calhoun has noticed over recent years.

"We seem to be having steady business all summer," Calhoun noted. "I believe there will be more."

CALHOUN SAID he used to field about three to five calls per year and complete just a single job in that same timeframe.

These days, he said he's receiving two or three calls every week, and the completion of the work at Nelson's is already Northstone's third installation this summer.

The solar option is getting traction, Calhoun said, because the local population is gaining awareness of alternative energy options. And, he added, solar systems are becoming much more cost-effective for homeowners and businesses.

Getting set up for solar is surprisingly easy: Northstone can help potential users get access to grant funding, and a usual residential job only takes four weeks from the first phone call to the time a solar system is up and running.

But now that Northstone has put up all 78 panels at Nelson's Ace Hardware, Calhoun said his business is looking for an even bigger undertaking. He hopes Northstone will soon get tapped to go beyond commercial and residential installations to install a municipal government solar system.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at 406-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.