The Sun Zone

There can be challenges, including rules and regulations about land use, for business owners who seek to tap clean sources of energy for their operations. But that isn’t stopping one business owner in South Portland who is determined to make a positive impact for the environment and his bottom line.

Suresh Gali, owner of the Howard Johnson hotel in South Portland, has already installed solar arrays at two of his other hotels in the region; Quality Inn and Suites on Main Street and The Days Inn on Maine Mall Road, the roof of which holds a 400-panel array. Now, he is working with the South Portland Planning Board and City Council to ensure his Howard Johnson’s can also tap into solar energy, in keeping with his belief in clean energy production and conservation, and his bottom line: big savings on energy bills.

Gali has already received the go-ahead from South Portland’s Planning Board for his proposed 900 panel array which would be installed on the 1-½ acres adjacent to the hotel. He has already installed low energy, LED lighting throughout the hotel. If his current solar project moves forward he expects it to result in even more savings and shrink his business’ already shrinking footprint.

 

Our sustainability radar is always on, and we love to share. Do you have information about a great project helping to make Maine a more sustainable place to call home that you would like to see featured on NRCM’s blog? Guest posts and alerts about interesting sustainability stories are always welcome! If it is good news for our environment and involves Maine or Mainers, it belongs in the spotlight. Please contact Sarah Lakeman, NRCM Sustainable Maine Project Director at slakeman@nrcm.org or (207) 430-0170 or Chrissy Adamowicz, NRCM Sustainable Maine Outreach Coordinator at cadamowicz@nrcm.org or (207) 430-0144.