A cafe without coffee: brilliant idea! That was my first thought when Stephania told me about it, but I’m starting to come around. After all, more and more people are cottoning on to the notion that coffee doesn’t need to be made of… well, coffee. These days, there are so many alternatives! Turmeric, beetroot, matcha, charcoal, horseradish and just about anything else you care to name can now be passed through an espresso machine and served as coffee.
I hope this is more than a passing fad, because I’ve gone and invested in Stephania’s cafe, haven’t I? Note to self: make her stop referring to it as a cafe, because now I’m doing it as well. I’m down with the coffee alternatives, but don’t call the place a cafe if you’re not going to serve caffeine. That’s my only rule.
One of the main reasons I’ve agreed to go in is because Stephania wants to invest in commercial solar. For businesses, Brisbane ones at least, this seems like a pretty good idea, provided you’ve got the capital. Stephania has worked out this whole cost-benefit analysis and compiled it into a slideshow, and a fairly compelling one at that. I mean, she hasn’t just grabbed some generic info; she’s actually done all this research. Basically, she’s arrived at a calculation of how many solar panels can fit on the rooftop of the shop, and from there derived an approximation of how much energy could be generated, taking into account factors like roof angle and hours of sunlight.
As part of her presentation, she’s made a recommendation that she also invest in commercial battery storage installation. Near Melbourne, where I live, this is somewhat more of a necessity, because there’s not a lot of light at certain times of the year and the days are quite short in winter. But Stephania’s done a pretty good job of convincing me that it’s a good idea in Brisbane as well, even for a business that’s only really open during the day.
To cut a long story short, I’ve agreed to front the money for the solar system in exchange for bottomless golden lattes on house-made almond mylk.