It’s impossible for us not to do something like this.

Weavers Way is a member-owned cooperative grocery store with locations around Philadelphia. In early 2024, they partnered with Clean Energy Co-op to put solar on the roof of their new store.

Steve Hebden works at Weavers Way and was a major force in getting the project done. He told us that “Weavers Way is definitely committed to environmental stewardship. Weavers Way didn’t have the money to buy a [solar] system like this and so we reached out to the Clean Energy Co-op and with their expertise in the technical parts and also their connections to the solar installers, Solar States, they organized the back-end stuff that made it possible.”

Solar States is a solar installer and training program based in the Philadelphia area. You can check out the great work by Solar States on our website. 

“It’s impossible for us not to do something like this,” continued Steve, “That’s the way we’re built but we just didn’t have the money to do it because we just renovated this building for our store so funds were sort of short. Thank goodness for Clean Energy Co-op!”

Joy Baxter, Clean Energy Co-op Southeast Chapter Chair, spoke to us about their partnership: “Weavers Way has been interested in doing solar for a long time… and they approached the Clean Energy Co-op because we are a financing arm for non-profits and community business. If they want to go solar but don’t have all the funds laying around, they can come to us. 

“The installation was funded by our members, as well as reinvestment from our other projects. We really want to get our name out there so that nonprofits and community businesses know that if they want to go solar but don’t have those funds, we are an option for them.”

Non-profits looking to go solar can also use clean energy tax credits to make solar installation more affordable. You can find resources and information on navigating tax credits on our website.