Donckers along West Washington Street in downtown Marquette received a $11,364 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to support the installation of a rooftop solar panel system. (Journal file photo)

MARQUETTE — Donckers — a historic Marquette restaurant, chocolatier and soda fountain, located along West Washington Street in Marquette — will be installing solar panels over the summer, with the support of a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program in the amount of $11,364.

“This grant will go far towards reducing energy consumption and utilization of fossil fuels, and actually helping us promote the downtown and our business in an ecological way,” said Donckers owner Tom Vear, noting he is “proud and honored” that Donckers received the USDA grant.

The solar panels, which will serve as an energy source for Donckers, will be installed on the roof of the business in one to two weeks, once engineering plans are finalized, Vear said this morning.

The installation of the 19-kilowatt roof-mounted solar system will replace about 62 percent of the business’s energy use and will realize over $4,000 in savings annually, according to the USDA project announcement.

Vear said he applied for the grant because he believes using solar energy and reducing fossil fuel energy consumption is “just the right thing to do for our business and generally the world going forward.”

This grant was made possible by rural energy funding in the current Farm Bill, which was authored by U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, according to a release from Stabenow’s office.

“I’ve had the opportunity to visit Donckers and know how special they are to Marquette’s unique downtown,” Stabenow said in the release. “This support will not only help them be more energy efficient and support Michigan’s clean energy economy, but will support them as they continue to play a vital role in Marquette’s community and tourism economy.”

Stabenow recently introduced a new bipartisan Farm Bill, as the current bill is set to expire this fall. According to the release, the proposed bill will strengthen “support to help rural businesses develop renewable energy systems and create jobs in small towns and rural communities.”

Cecilia Brown can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. Her email address is cbrown@miningjournal.net.