The hardware store that has Maine’s second-largest solar-electric system is having an open house today to show off the project.

Damariscotta Hardware recently had 301 photovoltaic panels installed on the roof of the 24,000-square-foot business on Business Route 1. The panels are designed to meet about 70 percent of the store’s electricity needs.

Additional Photos

Damariscotta Hardware’s rooftop grid of solar panels meets about 70 percent of the store’s electricity needs. Courtesy photo

The 69-kilowatt system was installed by Maine Energy Performance Solutions of Washington.

The project represents a major step in controlling energy costs for the 55-year-old family business, said Rob Gardiner, the company’s president. The store installed a wood gasification boiler last year, cutting heating oil consumption by 90 percent. Electricity stood out as the next biggest energy expense, with a bill exceeding $13,000 in 2008.

Gardiner was approached by Rich Simon, Maine Energy’s founder, about the potential of the store’s open, south-facing roof. The system that was installed had a total price of $347,300, but with tax credits and rebates, depreciation and an anticipated federal grant, the net cost will be $77,000. That would allow the investment to pay for itself in less than eight years, according to Simon.

Wind energy is receiving a lot of attention in Maine, Simon said, but falling equipment prices and government incentives also can make commercial-scale solar projects viable.

Visitors will be able to view the system’s performance from a monitor in the hardware store. Today’s open house will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m

The state’s largest solar-electric system was installed last year in Alfred, at the George R. Roberts Co./The Step Guys facility. It has 638 panels and a design capacity of 110 kilowatts.

Staff Writer Tux Turkel can be contacted at 791-6462 or at: tturkel@pressherald.com

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