Sustaining Generations: Hattoy’s Solar Story
Hattoy’s Nursery and Garden Center in Coventry, Rhode Island, is a great example of how an agricultural business can seamlessly integrate clean energy within its operations. A rooftop solar system installed in 2024 has been game-changing for the Hattoys’, lowering costs and inspiring new energy saving measures. Their experience with the system has proven that, for a family farm, “sustainability is survival.”
Ethan Hattoy is the son of business founder Mark and his wife Denise, and multi-manager of the now over 37-year-old enterprise.
Ethan says there was never a plan for Hattoy’s Nursery and Garden Center. It all began when his father set out to buy a tractor for his small landscaping business. Along the way, he was persuaded to purchase a house that would become the base of what is now the family’s garden center. Eventually, Ethan’s mother left her job as an x-ray technician to help run the business and restore the property’s aging greenhouses.
This Hattoy boldness endured through the generations; Ethan was the one to pursue solar energy for the family enterprise, after inquiring about a small-scale installation for his house. With an Agricultural Energy Grant and help from Rhode Island DEM and OER, he procured a 13.53 kW size system for the garden center’s retail building. The array has been able to eliminate all energy costs for the business to date.
“Our solar system is working just as we had dreamed and hoped it would; it is offsetting our electric bill 100% right now. We expect to build-up enough storage or credits during the summer to hold us over at times of the year when our energy bills are north of $1,000 a month.”
Despite coming into the process with uncertainty surrounding the cost and energy efficiency of solar, the Hattoy’s trusted the process–which Ethan says took about six months–and they couldn’t be happier with the outcome.
“I found this program accidentally, and it ended up being a blessing that I did because it’s really helped our business out...the process can take a while from start to finish, but there are a lot of people ready to help you.”
The Nursery’s customers approve of the solar system as well, often making supportive comments at the register. Further support came from Governor Dan McKee, who visited the business in August 2024 to honor the Hattoy's with a Certificate of Special Recognition for the family’s efforts in adopting clean energy.
All in all, the Hattoy's are confident they could repeat this process and are excited to explore other clean energy programs, such as installing heat pumps in their greenhouses. Ethan acknowledges that they have a lot more work to do, but the solar system has been a great starting point, and they are excited to continue down the clean energy path to ensure Hattoy’s Nursery and Garden Center thrives into the future.