It seems the Amish in Ohio are not the only ones who are interested in solar technology. Could this be a trend?

Stoltzfus is an Amish traditionalist. He works with his hands at a sawmill, wears plain clothes and the requisite straw hat, and doesn’t care much for the conveniences of the mainstream world. But he uses solar energy to charge batteries for buggy lights, flashlights and the nebulizer that his 6-year-old son sometimes uses for his asthma.

“I wouldn’t do without it,” he said.

As solar panels become more available, affordable and easy to use, the technology has been embraced by Amish communities here in Southern Maryland, in Pennsylvania, Ohio and elsewhere. While connecting to the public power grid is generally frowned upon as an unhealthy intrusion on their simple lifestyle, the Amish have long considered energy sources such as diesel and gasoline engines — and now solar power — a legitimate way to fire up buggy lights and sewing machines and meet the rest of their modest electrical needs.

“The Amish appear to have skipped the 20th century in a sense,” said Bill Spratley, executive director of Green Energy Ohio, a nonprofit that promotes renewable energy. “They are using technology most of us consider advanced — and they’re considered the plain people!”

In a way it makes complete sense. The Amish try to live an uncomplicated life. What could be more simple than getting your energy from the sun.

Not all Amish people approve, but many do — particularly if solar energy is used for business and home use is kept to a minimum. Solar electricity fits into the Amish self-sufficiency model. It is convenient, safe and, unlike some Amish-sanctioned alternatives, there are no noxious fumes or noise and no fuel costs.

“There’s so much free sun and free air, and if we could harness it, we wouldn’t need any more power plants,” said Andrew Hertzler, an Amish farmer selling flowers and plants outside the local library here on a recent afternoon.

Most Amish people hook up only one or two panels — or at most 10 — compared with the 40 or 60 it would take to keep a typical American home running. They use solar electricity for such things as lights, refrigerators, cordless tools, medical equipment, air purifiers and well pumps for their homes, electric fences and water filtration systems on farms, and phones, pagers, copiers, burglar alarms, cash registers and computers at businesses.(via)