Hanford dairy goes solar in a big way

HANFORD

May 27, 2015 10:30am

•  Solar farm to generate 1.1 Megawatts of power

•  “Solar is one of those crucial tools that makes a lot of sense”

Medeiros and Son near Hanford in Kings County is going solar with a 1.1 megawatt system installed by California Commercial Solar Inc. of Visalia.

The dairy milks 2,450 cows and farms 1,400 acres.

CalCom says the project will be completed in this summer.

"The dairy business takes constant evaluation and assessment to ensure our operation and team is working as efficiently as possible,” says Brian Medeiros. “We're extremely focused on improving efficiencies across the entire farm. Solar is one of those crucial tools that makes a lot of sense. It helps us to reduce our energy costs and improve our triple bottom line."

CalCom Solar CEO Nic Stover says that with over a megawatt of solar-powered generation, the Medeiros operation “will take a huge step towards becoming a net-zero, sustainable dairy.”

The company says that by the third quarter, Medeiros will significantly lower operational costs, saving approximately $320,000 annually on utility bills.

“This solar array will help provide financial certainty, delivering more than $8 million in utility savings over the next 25 years," Mr. Stover says.

In addition to the financial savings, the system will also help in California's efforts to mitigate climate change. The project will reduce carbon dioxide emissions — the equivalent of burning 1.6 million pounds of coal or using 166,000 gallons of gasoline every year.

"By deploying solar, our farming practices will also improve, as we will be able to reduce our peak hour electrical demand on our fans, chillers and well pumps," says Mr. Medeiros.

http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=28412