Video: Solar porch installed at organic farm in Riverhead

JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | A solar panel porch was installed last week at the Garden of Eve Organic Market on Sound Avenue in Riverhead.

An organic farm in Riverhead became even more environmentally-friendly last week after adding a new porch with a solar awning to its farm stand.

Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht, owner of Garden of Eve Organic Farm & Market, said she decided to move forward with the solar project in an effort to make her goods as green as they can be.

“I’ve always supported the idea of renewable energy,” she said. “I believe the more you can take advantage of renewable energy, the better off we’ll all be.”

Charles Distefano, director of Ronkonkoma-based Power 2 Profit Energy Solutions, said his company designed the solar project with a porch instead of placing the panels onto the farmstand’s roof in order to maintain the farm’s rustic look.

“The design fits right in with the motif of her farm stand,” he said, adding that the 11.8 kilowatt solar project will be able to generate enough energy for the farm’s entire operations.

Since the farm isn’t operating during the winter months, Ms. Kaplan-Walbrecht is expected to receive a large credit from LIPA that will be applied to her energy costs next season.

“This is important because it helps us make produce available to the public without negatively impacting the environment,” she said.

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