The first thing to understand about solar power is that sunny days aren t necessary to make energy.
“It’s not sunshine that you need for solar energy, it’s daylight and the sun rises every day,” said John Purvis, owner of Solar Revolution, a solar installation company in Erie. “Obviously, on sunny days the panels generate more energy, but even on a cloudy day, there is UV light and that is all you need.”
So, even if you buy into the “dreary Erie” trope and think solar power would be a risky investment in Erie, Pennsylvania, there are many homeowners who have been converting daylight into electricity for years. And they are happy to show off their electric bill to prove you wrong.
We talk to former honorees Hannah Kirby, Greg Coleman, and Adam J. Williams, Esq. by Cara Suppa
Jessica Hunter/Jessica Hunter/Matt Kleck Photography
Industry, innovation, and entrepreneurship, you say? When have these three concepts ever been more challenging to maintain than in the last year?
Yet despite the many blows locally to small businesses and organizations, the people of Erie have powered forward, adapting and evolving in the midst of unprecedented crisis.
We at the Reader are not surprised in the least by the gargantuan efforts of three of our former 40 Under 40 recipients.
We caught up with Hannah Kirby (class of 2014), owner of Ember+Forge coffee shop, Greg Coleman (class of 2014), president of the Erie SeaWolves, and Adam J. Williams, Esq. (class of 2013), founder of Rust Belt Business Law.