Best Commercial Solar Installation: Intelligent and Elegant
When Joseph Fragoso contacted a local SunPower provider, he needed to solve a problem that’s typical for our agricultural solar customers. His Mid Summer Farms in Hanford, Calif., had enough land for a photovoltaic (PV) solar system —190 acres – but most of that land was spoken for. He needed as much as possible for growing corn, winter wheat and other crops.
With a Solar Technologies tracker system, the solar panels move gradually throughout the day, following the sun’s path, rather than being fixed facing just one direction. Because the panels always face the sun, they generate more power.
Solar Technologies System Conserves Valuable Acres for Growing
The versatile Solar Technologies Helix™ system, which can be installed on rooftops, carports or as a tracker, was the obvious choice, Wilson said. With every part designed to work seamlessly together to generate the most possible power, the 208.8 kilowatt system at Mid Summer Farms would meet the farm’s electricity needs using just 1.26 acres of land — 40 percent less land than with a conventional solar system.
“By offering the tracker ground-mount system we were able to generate almost twice the amount of kilowatt hours than the other competitor’s proposal, which meant that the farmer could maintain a larger amount of his crop land for growing,” Wilson said.
Plus, the Helix system is so simple to assemble that installation costs were lower.
With this particular project, “Everything lines up really well,” Wilson said. “It’s just a really good-looking array.”
The economics of the Mid Summer Farms system look good, too. It’s saving Fragoso about $43,000 annually in energy costs.
Fragoso isn’t alone in turning to solar to reduce his electricity costs. Businesses from mushroom growers to wineries and fruit and nut producers are saving millions annually with Solar Technologies high efficiency solar solutions.
His only regret?
“I wish we’d have started doing this when we first got into farming because it would have been saving money back then,” Fragoso said.
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