Indiana’s Amish embracing wind, solar power

GRABILL, Ind. – Northeastern Indiana’s large Amish community is starting to embrace wind and solar energy to power their homes’ lights, refrigerators and other equipment.

Although many Amish rejected high-voltage electricity in the early 1920s because of the power lines that would have connected their people to the outside world, limited use of site-generated, low-voltage electricity is acceptable to many Amish.

The latest Amish resident hoping to tap into natural energy sources is 63-year-old Victor Wagler. He’s seeking permission from Allen County officials to erect a $15,000 steel tower that will stand 87 feet and be topped with a wind-driven, electricity-producing turbine.

“With the cost of fuel, it should pay for itself in three years,” Wagler told The News-Sentinel of Fort Wayne for a story published Saturday.

Chicago Tribune