Amish Look To The Sun For Power

(CBS)  This story was written by CBS News' Arden Farhi and Matthew German.

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In a place where clotheslines outnumber power lines and the people prefer horse-drawn buggies to automobiles, Pennsylvania's Amish community has begun to embrace a new technology that mainstream culture has been slow to endorse: solar energy.

The Amish Church generally forbids any connection to the outside world, which includes tapping into the public utility grid. While they do not reject technology outright, they believe outside influences threaten the welfare of their small, closely-knit communities.

Don Kraybill, a professor of Anabaptist atudies at Elizabethtown College, has researched the Amish community for 25 years. He says the Amish "selectively use technology that fits into their philosophy and their religious way of life. So in a sense with solar, they are tapping into God's grid."

While solar technology is new, their use of electricity is not. The Amish community has long used electricity from diesel generators and pre-charged batteries. But solar energy offers a cleaner and ultimately cheaper alternative. The energy is essentially free after solar panel installation.

Kraybill added, "it's more affordable and they have technicians in their own communities that are learning how to use it."

Ben Zook is one such technician. He was raised Amish and started Belmont Solar about seven years ago. His company installs solar energy systems for both for Amish and non-Amish customers.

Zook said his business is catching on in the community.

"The number one reason for Amish to use solar is to power their buggy lights," said Zook. He noted that solar water heaters have also become popular among the Amish.

Mainstream society has begun to use solar technology as part of a "green" movement to lessen its dependence on other energy sources. For the Amish, it's about preserving their independence.

"(The Amish) haven't particularly embraced it for the image or anything. If you are off-grid, it just makes a lot of sense," said Zook.

"With solar, they don't see a problem with it being inconsistent with their world view," Kraybill said. "It is interesting that ... an avant-garde technology really fits into their old regulations."


By Arden Farhi and Matthew German

[tipsyinct]

The Amish sects are not so religiously pious that they don''''t love modern money. There are hundreds of Amish puppy mills all over Pennsylvania where puppies are cruelly produced as "crops" and the breeder dogs never get out of their cages. The Amish make big bucks on this infamous industry.
Posted by bjr361 at 05:09 PM : Oct 15, 2008

Number one: You don''t like money?
Number two: Those are serious alligations to make without any proof or facts.

[bjr361]

The Amish sects are not so religiously pious that they don''t love modern money. There are hundreds of Amish puppy mills all over Pennsylvania where puppies are cruelly produced as "crops" and the breeder dogs never get out of their cages. The Amish make big bucks on this infamous industry.

[newsjunky5]

"Amish Look To The Sun For Power"
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Oh, it''s just about solar cells.
From the headline, I was afraid they were going to invoke the Sun God and become an agrarian-based Juggernaut. With our troops spread thin between Afghanistan and Iraq, that could be bad news for us modernfolk, as well as the car companies.
Red herring here, never mind.

[Torilin]

Too bad the real ones won''''t be commenting here.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Posted by newsjunky5

Internet isn''t part of their life plus computer drains too much of that off-grid power!

[newsjunky5]

Like any group, the Amish have a few less orthodox members who sneak out with bluejeans and a t-shirt and visit a bar. A handful were dealing cocaine with the HellsAngels a few years ago too. But all of the ones I''ve ever met have been honest and hard-working tho.
Too bad the real ones won''t be commenting here.

[newsjunky5]

I just want to know what the deal is with the beard & no mustache look.
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I think that the Bible says somewhere that men (married?) should not shave the fringes of their face.

[newsjunky5]

I know in 5 years, I''''ll be happily hooked up to solar and a windmill, with an onboard desalination unit and headed in the direction of the wind.
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That''s only if you''re Amish. A modern sailboat can travel against the wind, at least within about 20 degrees or so of it, if you want to. Have fun.

[babooph]

Next thing ,cell phones will be adopted as 19th century tech !!!

[attalus-2009]

Gr8! Let''s promote more Luddite behavior. Next we can hear about the Islamists adopting CNG to power their car bombs. Sheesh!

[spiritwalk]

"...the Amish selectively use technology that fits into their philosophy and their religious way of life." i.e. The Amish bend their religious rules to suit themselves. They are not as conservative as so many perceive them to be.
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In just the past week there has been a story about 14 members of an Amish church injured while riding on a bus. There have also been commercials on TV for a portable electric heater supposedly manufactured by the Amish. What is going on?

From what I understand of the Amish religious dogmas the idea of an Amish electric heater is like kosher bacon. You can''t really come up with a rationalization for it that is not hypocritical.

Whatever is at the root of all this, I think it is sad. Maybe they are afraid of losing membership if the don''t change and modernize, but if needed to justify remaining as the Amish church.