Solar energy companies help tackle electricity rates for Winnsboro community

WINNSBORO, La. (KNOE) – A Winnsboro native, solar energy companies and engineers hosted a community event Friday (March 29) educating farmers, small business owners and Franklin Parish residents about solar energy.

Winnsboro native Don Hooker, co-founder of AI Sun Solar Solutions, said a lot of people in his hometown have had one question in common: “How can solar energy help us?”

“I said to myself – I need to answer that question because if people understand and know what something is, they will respond,” said Hooker.

Different solar energy companies like Brigg’s & Stratton Energy Solutions and Sol-Ark came to the Winnsboro community and set up displays at the Farm Bureau Insurance parking lot to show residents there are options to help tackle high electricity bills in rural areas.

“It seemed like the right opportunity to bring the commercial solution to help the farmers, but also educate the residential community by how our power systems going to help them on electric bills and have power when hurricanes do hit the community – you’ll have power when the electricity goes out,” said co-founder of Sol-Ark Bhawna Oberoi.

Hooker said he wants the community to understand the importance of sustaining energy.

“Being able to sustain and have energy power – what I mean by sustainability is that if you lose power, from the grids, you lose… security of your family, you lose a way of doing business, but if you have solar energy, that’s sustainable, because the sun is going to be coming up every day; you’re going to be sustainable,” said Hooker.

People in Louisiana have the option to apply for the Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvement Loans and Grants. It’s open to small business owners and agricultural producers interested in funding solar energy solutions. The application period starts March 31.

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