Looking to help both his company and the environment, a Mountville small business owner has installed a $160,000 solar-energy system.
Tim Reist, co-owner of Reist Precision Machine, said the rooftop system is expected to pay for itself in six years.
The payback period for the system, expected to generate 37,000 kilowatt hours annually, is being greatly reduced by state and federal incentives.
Reist said Tuesday that the project illustrates how solar energy can make sense for small businesses.
In recent months, as he researched whether to install the solar-energy system, he said, "I kept waiting for the red flags to start flying, but I never saw any.
"We're glad to see there's a renewable energy source that's available enough for us to get into," he said.
Reist's firm, which he founded in 1991, uses half of the 7,500-square-foot building at 156 N. Donnerville Road.
The rest is home to Advanced Trade Services and Architecture & Engineering Innovations, whose Robert J. Illo engineered the system. K.C. Green Energy installed it.
Reist Precision Machine has six employees, including Reist's wife, Joanne, the firm's co-owner and office manager.
A job shop, the firm makes prototypes, does short-run production, makes jigs, fixtures and tooling, and does secondary work on molded parts.