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Small is renewable Innovative energy projects on small farms
Space saver: Not all wind turbines feature large propeller blades. These vertical-axis turbines are quiet and bird-friendly. photoS by Accem Scott
by Accem Scott As food prices continue to skyrocket, we need to begin looking at all of our options to keep food prices low. Decreasing the cost of running farms is a good place to start. Farmers can then pass their savings down to the customer. Agriculture requires energy as an important input to production, in part because it uses energy directly: Machinery and equipment require fuel and electricity. Overall energy use in the U.S. from farms claims 3 percent of our total energy consumption. In 2010, the N.C. Green Business Fund awarded Community Development Specialists and my company, Green Brothers Solar, a grant to install six small wind turbines and seven small solar thermal demonstration systems on local food-producing farms in 10 communities in Western North Carolina. The benefits to these farming operations vary from a 50 percent reduction in household electrical consumption to 100 percent reduction in electrical consumption for domestic hot water. At Green Brothers Solar, we had the opportunity to select from a large variety of farms. There’s the rice farm, apple farms, a goat dairy, chicken and cattle farms — all in WNC and all located in areas considered distressed by the Department of Commerce. It was these farms and those communities that would receive a free wind turbine or solar hot water system. 64
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In many WNC rural communities, renewable technologies are considered very new. In fact, some didn’t have any permitting process in place to handle solar, wind, water or geothermal projects. Going into this project, we agreed to teach a four-hour class that would cover all of the farmers questions, inform permitting officials and teach local politicians and the community about this relatively new and growing industry. Our classes were eye-openers for most. Seeing and hearing what’s going on throughout the state, the nation and around the world regarding energy independence really opens people’s minds. Joe Carswell, a rice farmer at Clyde Valley Farms in Morganton, was pleasantly surprised that his household domestic hot-water needs were covered with his newly installed solar system. Mr. Carswell had a broken thermostat on his conventional hot-water system. He toyed with the idea of fixing it before we came. He finally decided to see what would happen if he went completely without the conventional hot water system connected to the grid. He has enjoyed 100 percent off-the-grid solar hot water for more than five months. For more information about the Green Business Fund, visit http://avl.mx/prp5 Accem Scott founded Green Brother Solar, which specializes in affordable options for solar installations. For info: GreenBrotherSolar.com
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