Advertisement

Hummer dealership to go solar

MAHWAH, N.J., June 12 (UPI) -- A N.J. dealership for the car generally regarded as an environmental disaster -- the Hummer -- has decided to switch to solar power, a solar company said.

The Mahwah, N.J., Hummer dealership contacted Los Angeles-based Solar Integrated Technologies Inc. last week, the company said, saying it was interested in the company's building integrated photovoltaic roofing system.

Advertisement

"We were attracted to the concept of combining a solar roof with our regular roofing needs," said Larry Blum of Hummer of Mahwah in a Solar Integrated Technologies statement.

"We wanted to be the first dealer in the area to show how this can work and hope that many others follow our example," Blum said.

"We were looking to build an energy-efficient roof and a dealership that was friendly to the environment," Blum added.

While the roof may be energy-efficient and friendly to the environment, the car underneath it is not: Hummer dealers place the tank-like vehicle's gas mileage at between 8 miles per gallon and 10 miles per gallon, while General Motors, marketer and distributor of the Hummer H2, puts the figure at 10 mpg to 13 mpg, according to a report by CBS News.

Advertisement

New Jersey has been a very active market for PV due to its rebate incentives, the company statement said. Systems up to 1 megawatt in capacity are eligible, and incentives are paid for the first 700 kilowatts of capacity. In addition, the state has other incentive programs including tax exemptions.

Latest Headlines