10 Things a Farmer Loves about Solar Power
Flying Goat Farm in Maryland is a farm that has started to use solar power. And guess what - they love it! Here are ten reasons that farmers Lisa and Bill Check like solar power on their farm:
1. No electric bill every month! This is a great thing for anyone who decides to use solar power.
2. The meter runs backwards instead of forwards. The Checks enjoy seeing the way that they are actually collecting energy on the farm just by having solar panels installed.
3. Solar power can power everything on the farm. They use their solar panels to power everything from their electric shears to the lighting in the barn not to mention the heating and cooling systems for their animals.
4. They're on the cutting edge. There still aren't nearly enough people who are using solar power. The Checks host solar power parties to educate others in the area about how the power is used on their farm.
5. They like being off of the electric grid. There are numerous reasons that someone might want to go off the grid and a lot of those reasons are in line with a DIY farming lifestyle.
6. They got rebates for installing solar. Sure, they system cost them a little bit of money but they also got some money back in the form renewable resource energy rebates. They expect to have the system paid off in five years.
7. Maintenance is simple. The solar power system that they chose easily identifies when something goes wrong with the system itself. This allows for simple maintenance. That may not be true for maintaining electrical energy on a farm.
8. Electricity is increasingly expensive. The cost of the sun isn't going to change whereas the cost of electricity may vary over time.
9. Solar power has allowed for expansion. The new power system has allowed the Checks to start thinking about adding a second barn and an orchid greenhouse to their farm.
10. It's green. The Checks didn't come right out and say that they like solar power because it's green energy. However, one can assume that someone who farms is someone who cares about the earth and it's clear that solar energy is green energy. Plus the do educate others in their community about energy efficient technology.
Source: http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/4210514
Publish Date: 2010-06-17 09:44:25
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