Charlies Kitchen has been an icon in Harvard Square for more than 50 years.

Charlie's Kitchen Original Logo Circa 1950

Now, before anyone knee jerks to thinking that a Cambridge, MA eatery next to the premiere institution of higher education is pompous, posh and expensive, Charlies offers a $4 cheeseburger with fries (bacon is extra), and a cold draft beer for $5 – posh, Charlies is not. But ask any local about Charlies and you will get an enthusiastic thumbs up!

And while it may seem like just another iconic local burger and beer joint, Charlies is a national leader.  They were one of the first in the City of Cambridge to go 100% recycling.   And now they are the first in the city to have a solar hot water system installed on their roof.

The owner Paul told me – over a $4 cheeseburger and fries that was great, as are their wings, salads, steak tips, and more (OK full disclosure, yes I am a regular, but never met Paul until today) – how he had been looking into solar for some time. Charlies heated the water they used for cooking and cleaning with electricity, the same system that heated water for its sister restaurant, The Red House, which is an up-scale restaurant offering wonderful bistro fare but also at very reasonable prices and with which Charlies shares a kitchen (there is also a seasonal outdoor beer garden too, Paul is quite the successful restaurant entrepreneur).

Roof of Charlie's Kitchen / The Red House

Through a personal contact Paul was introduced to Jonah Decola, owner of Clean and Smart a renewable energy installer based in Cambridge, MA who has done projects across the city including small wind and solar PV. After looking at the available space on the flat roof above both restaurants and calculating how much hot water both restaurants needed Jonah calculated that with a little ingenuity and the right equipment he could get Paul a 4-year return on investment (ROI) including hardware and installation.

Johan was up on the roof finalizing the installation today as I walked by on my way to Charlies for a burger – Charlies Kitchen will start getting most of their hot water heated by the sun saving the restaurant thousands each year.   Multiply Charlies by even a fraction of the estimated 592,246 restaurants in the US and what do you get?  One step closer a nation of ‘energy locovores’.

And that is what distributed generation is all about. It’s not about a utility controlled smart grid.  It’s not about New York financiers investing in multi-hundred megawatt wind farms in Kansas and Texas. It’s not about GE investing millions to market Ecomagination.

Jonah in the basement

It’s about restaurant owners, home owners, schools, churches, and community centers generating more of the power they use.  It’s about practical innovators like Jonah Decola and the thousands like him across the country finding low-cost, simple solutions that deliver results.  California already has over 20,000 solar powered homes, Wisconsin has wind farms popping up across the landscape, and installers in Florida can’t hire people fast enough to meet the demand.  We are becoming a nation of ‘energy locovores’ making the power we need where we use it without replying on the grid, and we should be proud of that and support those people and businesses in our communities that are doing their part.

So the next time you are visiting Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA and you want to get a bite to eat, for no frills and great service (Helen has been there 30+ years and counting) try out Charlie’s Kitchen.

Or if you want a great martini and a pastry stuffed with mushrooms try The Red House, Brian at the door will take care of you.  Which ever one you try you can feel good that your food was cooked with water heated by the sun, and you can feel great that you are supporting a local restaurant icon while witnessing a national leader.

(Note, no, Paul did not give me a free meal for this Post, social etiquette in the Square extends from bistro to diner, it wouldn’t be proper.)

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