Years ago, we worked with our landlord, Historic Harrisville, Inc. to reestablish hydroelectric energy underneath the buildings we occupy. Water has a firm place in the power history of woolen mills in Harrisville, going back 173 years to when Henry Colony made woolen cloth in the very building that houses our offices.

A year ago, we started down a path to explore other renewable technologies that we might bring online to power the demanding machines that make our products. While our core focus is to create wholesome quality products that enrich the lives of our customers, we strive to be environmentally responsible on how we make them.

We had recently set the course to move our spinning operations back to their original location, so we knew our energy needs were about to increase. Because the woolen industry has a history of issues with the air and water, it was imperative that we work to offset our energy usage by harnessing a renewable energy source. When working with local utility companies to bring 3 phase power to the mill, we learned it was also the ideal time to introduce solar energy. This kicked off a long desired separate project to install a solar array. Even though the utility company was not terribly eager to help us achieve our solar goals, we persevered through the process.

In 2020, the average American home consumed about 10,715 kilowatt hours in a year. Under optimal conditions, we can now generate around 80,000 kilowatt hours in a year, enough, we hope, to fully power the entirety of our operations. We’re a small company, but we knew we could be doing more to reduce our impact on the environment. We hope this project will inspire others to do the same.

We look forward to continue working with ReVision Energy to continue our mission of promotinge sustainable energy and heating sources. ReVision is a top solar installer in New England, is employee-owned, and is a B Corp. Visit their website at revisionenergy.com.