Energy Independence from On-Farm Solar
SunFarmor generators offer a plug-and-play solution for stabilizing energy costs for running irrigation systems, refrigeration, greenhouses, and livestock operations for 30 years. We use solar so farmers irrigating, growing specialty crops, or raising livestock can become “price-makers” instead of “price-takers” by offering carbon-reduced products.
The Inflation Reduction Act is hugely beneficial to farmers and ranchers. With tax credits, it can fund up to 40% of the cost of solar ($2/W) and the grid interconnection. It will fund 30% of aqueous ammonia plants for specialty crop growers that fertigate. The IRA will fund an additional 10% tax credit for any farmers located in an Energy Community.
Farmers and ranchers can use USDA REAP (Renewable Energy for American Program) grants and loans to fund the balance of the cost of SunFarmor generators.
We use solar to do three things:
Increase Profits with Electrification
The cost of delivered energy is the key. No matter how cheap energy produced in a remote location gets, someone profits by charging to deliver it. Farmers can own their energy future by using SunFarmor generators to make electricity on their farm with assets they own to stabilize their costs for 30 years.
Earn Carbon-Reduced Premiums
Regardless of what you use clean electricity for, it reduces the carbon footprint of your products. Food companies committing to reducing their Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions have no choice but to pay you premiums for carbon-reduced goods.
Keep Profits Local
Farm profits from price premiums circulate in local economies to benefit everyone. In contrast, when solar developers build rural solar farms, they export dollars with the energy. Local solar keeps profits local.
Growing Profits Indoors
As a greenhouse grower, you’ll lower your reliance on the grid and offset a huge chunk of your energy bill with SunFarmor generators. You’ll lock in long-term savings by using low-cost energy to run your hydroponic, ventilation, shading, refrigeration, and heating systems. You can store some of the day’s energy in batteries to extend daylight hours with LED lighting.
Making your own electricity with SunFarmor generators delivers energy independence. You reduce your risk of power outages by ensuring a consistent supply of electricity for your greenhouse operations. This added reliability is crucial so you can maintain optimal growing conditions year round, especially in areas prone to grid instability or extreme weather events.
If you are a greenhouse grower selling directly to consumers, you can promote your sustainable practices to earn consumer-driven price premiums. During crop turnover times, you can sell excess energy back to your utility for a profit.
Cold Storage Savings from the Sun
If you are a grower or rancher operating cold storage facilities, you can save dramatic amounts of your OPEX with SunFarmor generators. Refrigeration demands are greatest when the sun shines its brightest, so you can earn outsized benefits. And the number of on-farm cold storage facilities continues to rise for multiple reasons.
First, more consumers demand fresh produce and perishable goods throughout the year. Cold storage is the only way to store and preserve products beyond harvest or production season reliably. Have cold storage allows you to extend your market reach while suppling a wider range of products.
Second, cold storage facilities on farms help you serve growing local food movements by enabling you to distribute your products directly to local markets, restaurants, or community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs.
Third, you can incorporate value-added processing in your operation whether it involves making jams, jellies, frozen products, or pre-cut and packaged produce. Cold storage facilities are crucial for maintaining the quality and extending the shelf life of these value-added products.
Finally, cold storage facilities offer a way to mitigate the impact of weather events, such as excessive rainfall, drought, or heat waves. You can better manage your inventory and adapt to changing weather conditions by storing harvested crops in cold storage.
Lowering the Cost of Operating Dairy and Livestock Barns
As a dairy or livestock farmer, you use copious amounts of electricity for milking, lighting, ventilating, and heating your barns. You can reduce or eliminate your dependence on costly grid electricity by making electricity with SunFarmor generators while accruing substantial cost savings over time. You can store some of the energy in batteries to sustain nighttime operations.
By reducing your reliance on the grid, you can reduce risks of power outages or voltage fluctuations that disrupt ventilation systems, feeders, and pumps, which are crucial for animal welfare and your productivity.
Like other growers, you will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of your products, unlocking price premiums in the marketplace from companies committed to reducing their Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions.
If you sell directly to consumers, operating your barns with SunFarmor generators and batteries will open access to premium-priced markets prioritizing sustainable products.
Adding Value to the Ranch
As a rancher, you can make electricity with SunFarmor generators to use or sell, but you can also provide shade and collect water for your livestock. When assembling the SunFarmor generators, EPCs can install internal gutters in the center valley and connect them to rainwater collection tanks on the ground. Beyond the shade cast by the elevated solar panels of the SunFarmor itself, you can span solar shades between columns of SunFarmors to relieve the stress on your animals.
If you’re an adaptive multi-paddock (AMP) grazer, you can forage your livestock on paddocks created with columns of SunFarmor generators. You can relocate columns of SunFarmor generators if you ever need to resize paddocks to flex with your operation.
If you’re a rancher working in remote parts of the western ranges, SunFarmor generators can provide you with all the electricity you need to run a seasonal camp.