Trampoline park gets bounce from solar panels

October 31, 2024 2

Sen. Tom Carper was used to getting a bird’s-eye view of the world as a naval flight officer. On Oct. 23, he went up on a lift to get an aerial look at solar panels on the roof of Shell We Bounce, a trampoline park on Route 9 west of Lewes.

Carper was joined by Jim Derrick, owner of Shell We Bounce, and Rick Kotowski, president and CEO of Clean Energy USA of Rehoboth Beach, the company that installed the system.

Derrick and his wife Julie received a $341,818 grant from the Rural Energy for America Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pay for half of the upfront cost.

They also received a low-interest loan from the state.

The Derricks are no strangers to clean energy. They have been solar supporters for 20 years and both own Teslas.

Jim Derrick said solar gives their business a big bounce year-round.

“In the summertime, I’m not using it all when the peak demand is. Then, I don’t really have to heat the place much in the winter because I have little BTUs jumping around,” he said.

The system comprises 794 high-efficiency panels, taking up two football fields of space on the roof. It produces 400,000 kilowatt hours of energy per year. The average home produces 12,000 kWh.

Griff Kroll, a solar expert with Clean Energy USA, helped install the system. He said the projected electrical savings in the first year is $55,000. The projected savings by the end of the 25-year warranty is $2,088,571.

“By combining the USDA grant with tax advantages and additional incentives, companies can achieve a cash flow-positive outcome in the first one to two years of operation,” Kroll said.

The USDA has awarded 55 REAP grants in Delaware for more than $7 million. It has awarded $600 million in REAP grants nationwide.

The goal of the event was to get the word out that the grant money is out there.

“All of our friends are small business owners,” said Julie Derrick. “Letting them know that [clean energy] is not going to be such a burden financially. It’ll pay off.”