Venice, FL-based waterfront restaurants Sharky’s on the Pier and Fins at Sharky’s will be saving a boatload in energy costs, thanks to a solar field installed in front of the buildings this summer. The 25 KW solar system is made up of 105 – 240 watt panels and is expected to produce $500 in energy savings a month (based on .11¢ per kilowatt hour).
The joint venture between Sharky’s parent company Venice Pier Group and Beechwood Builders of Venice, FL, involved developing a solar field using unusable space at the bottom of a retention pond. The space is leased for $1 per year from the City of Venice. The project received the required approvals from Swift Mud, Division of Beaches & Coastal Management, F.A.A. and the City of Venice; it also qualified for the Florida Power and Light (FPL) rebate program.
Sharky’s customers benefit from the solar field as well: There are two car charging stations, as well as power for electric bikes and golf carts free of charge for the public to use in the parking lot. In addition to Sharky’s on the Pier, which opened in 1987, and Fins at Sharky’s, which opened this past December, Venice Pier Group includes Snook Haven restaurant.