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We all know that fast food isn’t good for us.  Yet, as a working mom of 4, I have to admit that about once a week, I let one of these outlets make dinner for us.  Perhaps I can cut down on the guilt by looking at the fact that many of these outlets are converting to become solar powered restaurants.

Who knew that fast food and green energy would be used in the same sentence?

Solar panels on fast food restaurant rooftops

I’d heard about McDonalds saving its deep fryer grease to be reused for fuel.  Now, the installation of solar panels on chain restaurants are the latest way that fast food is going green.  There are a number of chains that are increasingly making the shift to solar power, which can help you feel just *that* much better about indulging in a little comfort food.

1.  Chipotle

We blogged about solar panels on Chipotle restaurants previously.  The Denver-based fast food restaurant has installed rooftop solar panels on 75 of its restaurants nationwide. Each solar power system will produce about 500 kilowatt hours of electricity, which makes it the largest direct producer of solar energy in the restaurant industry.  With these solar panels, the restaurants can avoid the release of 41 million pounds of CO2 emissions.

2.  Habana Outpost

While not known nationwide as a fast food chain, the Habana Outpost opened in Brooklyn in 2005, and became New York’s first solar powered restaurant.  Each year, you can enjoy fare at the site from Earth Day to Halloween. The Habana Outpost’s sustainable solutions include a $40,000 solar installation on its outdoor patio, a bike-powered blender, a rainwater collection system, composting and recycling stations, efficient lighting, compostable plates and silverware, a garden, and wheatboard panels inside the restaurant.

3.  Burger King

In Waghäusel, Germany, this solar powered restaurant features solar, wind, lighting, heating and cooling system, all of which will cut whopping amounts of energy and costs at Burger King. The solar and wind systems alone can supply the restaurant with 1/3 of its electrical needs. Overall, the renewable energy systems will reduce energy costs by 45% and reduce CO2 emissions by 120 metric tons each year. More than 720 solar PV modules will generate over 53,500 kWh of electricity per year. The restaurant uses an interior heat-recovery ventilation system to heat and cool the site, waste heat to generate hot water, LED lighting, and a broiler that reduces gas consumption by 52 percent and electrical consumption by 90%. In addition, the restaurant has a solar powered electric vehicle charging station and a rainwater reclamation for landscaping irrigation.

Wow.  I cannot think of many businesses that are so invested in solar power and reducing environmental impacts!

4.  Sonic Drive-In

Right here in my home state, one of my favorite fast food restaurants, Sonic Drive-In, is going solar.  In Wilsonville, Oregon (about 20 minutes south of Portland), a solar panel system has been installed on its rooftop.  The 45-panel system will be able to generate more than 11,380 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year, which will cut about 8,648 pounds of CO2 emissions per year.

These fast food outlets are not the only ones going green.  Do you know of a solar powered restaurant in your hometown?  Be sure to share in the comment section below.