Marathon Automotive goes solar

Mark Urban, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
·3 min read

Aug. 31—TRAVERSE CITY — A longtime automotive repair facility received a United States Department of Agriculture grant to help pay for a solar array.

The Ross Corporation received an $11,650 grant to help pay for a 20 kilowatt roof mount solar photovoltaic system at Marathon Automotive, located at 845 W. South Airport Road.

Marathon Automotive President and Owner Ross Schofield said the solar array went live in mid-May and produced about 44 percent of the business' electrical needs in July and 41 percent in August. The 20 kilowatt solar array is expected to produce 36 percent of Marathon Automotive's electrical power needs annually, according to the USDA release.

Project payback is estimated at 15 years.

"It's paid for in 15 years, then you have another 10-15 years of free power," Schofield said of the decision to install solar on the roof of the 15,000 square foot building.

Schofield said the solar array is "an investment in the well being of the business and the planet."

"We've always kind of thought that way," said Schofield, who opened Marathon Automotive at the corner of Four Mile Road and U.S. 31 in 1980. "It just seems like the right thing to do."

Marathon Automotive was one of 13 Michigan projects to receive a USDA grant. Twelve of those were for solar-based projects.

"Every Michigan community can benefit from clean, renewable energy," USDA Rural Development State Director for Michigan Brandon Fewins said in the release. "These projects are helping to spur economic growth and also promote energy independence for rural communities."

Marathon Automotive moved to its current location in 1992 "after 12 years of consistent growth," according to the business website, https://www.marathonauto.com/. Schofield said he looked at adding a solar array during a 2009 expansion, but the numbers didn't add up at the time.

This time the project did work financially. Schofield said Leelanau Solar "was really good to work with on the project," which resulted in about $23,000 in costs after a federal tax credit.

Later this fall, Schofield said Marathon Automotive will switch to lighting its 16 automotive bays with LED.

He said that installation will cut power usage for lighting at Marathon Automotive significantly, while also increasing visibility. Similar to his decision with solar, Schofield said he also weighed the move to LED earlier, bit "you couldn't make the math work any way you did it."

The USDA grants for the 13 projects in Michigan accounted for a total investment of $196,981. Other than $20,000 for a grain dryer at Bernia Family Farms in Tuscola County, the other projects were all for solar including:

* Berrien County, Dominion Bros. Inc., $20,000

* Branch County, Tom Hughes, $12,347

* Calhoun County, David Komasara, $10,357

* Cass County, McKenzie Highlands LLC, $20,000

* Ingham County, Thomas Butcher, $9,371

* Lenawee County, Golden Acre Farms, $18,750

* Monroe County, Masserant Farms LLC, $19,756

* Muskegon County, Harris Knudson, $6,541

* Ottawa County, Fritz Manufacturing Company, $9,647

* Saginaw County, Shasam Drugs PC, $20,000

* Washtenaw County, Mindo Chocolate Makers LLC, $18,562

The investments in Michigan projects were part of $111 million in grant for 289 projects "to help people living in socially vulnerable communities," according to the release.

"Rural America is on the front lines of climate change, and our communities deserve investments that will strengthen all of our resilience," USDA Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh said in the release. "The investments we're announcing ... will strengthen our energy security, create good-paying jobs and save Americans money on their energy costs."