Bucks Country Gardens Switches On Solar Panels

The acre lot of solar panels glittered and sizzled in the hot sun Monday morning as Bucks Country Gardens in Doylestown presented its new green energy project to the public.

Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick joined Tom Hebel, owner and president of Bucks Country Gardens and Roman Hryhorchek, installer at Moore Energy in Churchville, Pa., for the ribbon-cutting of the $828,000 solar electric generation system.

“We’re making some electricity today folks,” Hebel said, welcoming the crowd gathered outside behind the Bucks Country Gardens greenhouses.

The project, which took two years to plan and approve, but less than a month to install in March, consists of 598 solar modules of 230 watts each. The panels produce 162,000 kilowatt hours of energy—about 56 percent of Bucks Country Gardens’ current electric energy.

The solar panel system was doubled in size after installers chose the large tract of land behind Bucks Country Gardens’ greenhouses as a more ideal location than the center’s roof.

Hebel said he remains confident in the long-term returns of the investment, and although expensive, the project received a federal renewable energy grant that subsidized 30 percent of the cost, while state funding reduced it by another 7 percent.

Fitzpatrick commended Hebel and Bucks Country Gardens for supporting the country’s aggressive energy campaign that will reduce dependency on Middle Eastern oil.

“It’s a whole lot more American to produce American energy,” Fitzpatrick said. “That’s one less American dollar sent overseas.”

Hebel thanked Fitzpatrick and Hryhorchek for their support, along with Plumstead Commissioner Frank Froio for arranging the permitting, Bucks County Commissioner Charlie Martin, National Penn Bank and Pennsylvania State Senator Chuck McIlhinney, who was represented by his chief of staff, Heather Cevasco.

Wielding electric hedge clippers, the key players cut through the flowered ribbon in front of the solar panel field, officially kicking off energy production – which has actually been ongoing for two weeks (Too many sunny days to waste, Hebel said).

Hryhorchek added that the state of Pennsylvania—especially the Bucks County area—is 100 percent dedicated to making solar power the future of the energy industry.

“It’s guys like Tom Hebel that spread the beauty and news of solar energy,” he said.