Maude’s Classic Cafe is offering a new way for its customers to recharge.
A solar-powered charging station for electronic devices was installed earlier this month at the downtown Gainesville coffee shop located at 101 SE Second Place.
Matthew Wrighton, the owner of the cafe, said he was approached by Gainesville-based Pure Energy Solar to install the solar-powered station, otherwise known as RE-charge. The shop has the one station on the outdoor patio.
“The reaction has been very positive,” he said. “Customers are asking a lot of questions about how it works.”
The station, which is a metal table with a solar panel attached to a pole in the middle, has become the seat of choice for customers, Wrighton said. It’s equipped with nine electric outlets and 14 USB outlets.
Wayne Irwin, the director of engineering and owner of Pure Energy Solar, said the cafe was an appropriate spot because many customers use electronic devices in the outdoor patio.
“I think the RE-charge station really enlightens people to the reality that solar energy is abundant and never-ending,” Irwin said.
Irwin said he hopes the charging station will be jumpstart solar energy use for other local businesses.
“I’m looking to see these implemented throughout our community,” Irwin said.
The baseline price to purchase one of the stations is $3,000, he said, but the government offers a 30-percent Federal Income Tax Credit.
Shannon Nehiley, an 18-year-old UF sustainability and the built environment freshman, recently used the station to charge her iPhone. She said she thinks it’s an environmentally friendly option.
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 3/31/2014 under the headline "Maude’s customers can charge devices with solar station"]
