The solar array at Sentyrz Liquor & Supermarket. (Luis de Leon)
Amid the hustle and bustle of a grocery store — from the phone ringing, to PA announcements and a register handling a line filled with customers — you may not realize what’s happening right above you.
“Unless you’re a bird, you have no idea what’s on my roof,” Walter Sentyrz told the Northeaster on April 5.
Sentyrz is the proprietor of Sentyrz Liquor & Supermarket, 1612 2nd St. NE, owned and operated by his family for three generations.
Around a decade ago, Sentyrz had a large solar array installed on the store’s roof by Novel Energy Solutions, a family-owned national solar company that started in Minnesota. While Sentyrz says he now is starting to see energy savings for the store, for him, it was about more than simply saving money on energy bills.
“I’m very conscious about what’s going on in the world. Any way I can recycle or reuse, I do,” Sentyrz said, adding that the store hosts an event with Novel Energy Solutions every few years to showcase the installation to residents.
Over on Johnson Street, The Coffee Shop Northeast is seven years into a 20 kilowatt (kW) installation on its roof. If you take a look at the cafe on Google Earth, you’ll notice the panels are arranged to form the letters “NE.”
“These days, anything you can do to save money is very helpful,” co-owner Rich Horton told the Northeaster on April 8.
On average, he says the business is saving around 35% on its energy bills, and in the summer months, they’re saving at most around $500.
Horton explained that part of the initial incentive for getting solar panels was the installation of the business’s new roof. But since then, he feels that now it’s a motivation both for environmental benefits and savings.
“It’s nice that it’s [the energy bill] been stable through the whole thing,” Horton said. “It hasn’t gone up a ton.”
Other businesses in Northeast that have leaned into solar power include the Eastside Food Co-op and Los Campeones Gym near Logan Park.
Minnesotans are no stranger to renewable energy initiatives. In 2013, a law enacted by the state legislature started a state-wide community solar garden program. In 2023, Gov. Tim Walz signed into law a climate bill that aimed for 100% clean energy by 2040. Now, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, Minnesota currently ranks 19th in the nation when it comes to solar capacity.
For these Northeast businesses, solar power is beneficial to their daily operations, their community and the environment.
“If I had a bigger roof, I’d have more panels,” Sentyrz said. “I feel entitled to at least help Mother Earth.”