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Big savings expected from combination solar power system

February 13, 2013  By Brandi Cowen


Harnessing the power of the sun is expected to bring True Leaf Farms an annual savings of more than $110,000. (Courtesy of IndianaPublicMedia.org.)

True Leaf Farms and commercial solar power products and services provider SPG Solar have completed a combination rooftop solar power system and SunSeeker tracker ground-mount system to lower operating costs and drive sustainability.

The 981.1 kilowatt system will produce almost 1.8 million kilowatts-per-hour, offsetting 35 per cent of the total energy costs of the 190,000-square-foot processing plant in Yuma, Ariz.

 

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“True Leaf Farms was motivated to go solar to lower energy costs and invest in a technology that will continually contribute to lowering costs for years to come,” said David Gill, partner at True Leaf Farms. “For agricultural businesses struggling with rising energy costs, SPG Solar provides a bankable solution that is durable, efficient and easy to maintain, helping us achieve our goals and allowing us to take advantage of Arizona’s most abundant resource: the sun.”

 

True Leaf Farms funded the project in part by using the federal tax credit as well as capitalizing on incentives from electric power supplier APS’ Renewable Energy Inventive Program.

 

By installing SPG’s combination systems, True Leaf Farms is expected to not only offset an annual 1,363 tons of greenhouse emissions, but also to save over $110,000 annually.

 

“Increasingly, agriculture businesses throughout North America are turning to SPG Solar’s proven solar technology to escape rising energy costs,” said Dylan Dupre, SPG Solar’s vice-president of business development. “Family farms and dairies are learning that with new financing options they can go solar — often without upfront capital outlay — and see immediate savings in Year 1 as well as gaining long-term control of their energy costs.”

 


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