Vella Cheese gets environmental honor for solar panels

Ig Vella, owner of Vella Cheese, on Friday received a Sustainable 6 environmental award from state assemblyman Jared Huffman in honor of the photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of the historic cheese-making building at 315 Second St. E.
“I save about $2,500 a month” due to the solar panels, said Vella. He hasn’t had to pay any “peak” electricity costs —the most expensive – since installing them four years ago, he said.
Vella said the panels will have paid for themselves starting July 31, 2008.
Officials from wineries have flocked to see the panels, he said.
“If I had a bottle of wine from each one of ’em, I’d have a case of it,” Vella said.