Solar panels on the roof of the Trolley Car Diner.

by Thomas Primosch

This year marks the 15th anniversary of Mt. Airy's Trolley Car Diner opening for business. The cozy restaurant has been serving people from Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy since 2001, and owner Ken Weinstein wanted to do something to show appreciation for his customers, so he had solar panels installed on the roof of the diner.

“It’s actually something we’ve been thinking about for several years,” Weinstein said. “Last time I priced it out around five years ago, the cost of the installation was not feasible. So we recently hooked up with a company called Solar States that was able to sharpen their pencil and show us a much shorter payback period.”

Solar State is a relatively new company that was founded in 2008 and, according to its website, it has “completed more than 200 projects for residential and commercial clients.”

The installation of the solar panels started in the fall of 2015, and they were officially turned on in early January. Weinstein is excited that the panels can double as both a gift to his customers and the environment.

“It’s just a way for us to give back to our customers and the environment, so it’s just something that we’re excited to do in our 15th anniversary year,” Weinstein said. “We we’re looking for a project where we can say thank you to our customers.”

Weinstein took advantage of a 30 percent federal tax credit, which he noted was what really made the whole process possible. He said that when he initially had the idea to install solar panels five years ago, the payback period would have been more than twice what it is now. Weinstein estimated that by 2023 the panels will start to pay for themselves.

Weinstein has a history of environmentally minded moves. In 2012, he installed the area's first electric car charging station at the diner.