Skip navigation

Ted's begins using alternative energy source

TALLAHASSEE Fla. A Ted's Montana Grill here recently became the first of the chain's 49 units to use photovoltaics – or solar power – to conserve energy.

It is also believed to be the first restaurant in the city to be retrofitted with the alternative power source. To promote energy conservation, Florida provides businesses that use solar power with one-time rebates of $4 per kilowatt generated, up to $100,000. Additionally, Ted's Montana Grill said the city will pay the restaurant the same amount the outlet would be charged if it bought the kilowatt hours, a figure tabulated through a process called net metering. The company did not disclose how much the changeover cost.

The unit was outfitted with 66 photovoltaic panels – 44 on the upper roof and 22 on the patio roof. The panels are expected to supply about 5 percent of the restaurant's energy needs.

George McKerrow, president and chief executive of Ted's Montana Grill, said the company is always looking for new forms of sustainable energy. The company was co-founded by McKerrow and media entrepreneur and environmentalist Ted Turner.

"Ted is always challenging us to look for sustainable, alternative energy sources," McKerrow says. "Tallahassee was an ideal location because both the city and the state have strong incentives for businesses that use alternative energy sources and because we own the property and the building there."

Ed Bazor, the company's director of construction, says, "The power we generate goes directly back into the building to reduce energy costs."

Tom Gillman, solar coordinator for the Tallahassee's energy services division, says, "Most utilities pay for the fuel component, but net metering pays the customer for the retail cost of a kilowatt hour. This is one of the better programs in the country."

McKerrow says Montana Grill is looking into wind energy, partnerships with other large corporations and expanding the solar panel program to other restaurants.

World Sustainable Inc., a contracting company that works to advance the use of solar energy and sustainable building technology, worked with Ted's Montana to install the photovoltaic panels.

TAGS: Archive
Hide comments

Comments

  • Allowed HTML tags: <em> <strong> <blockquote> <br> <p>

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Publish