Indiana CAFO farm Partners with Emergent Solar Energy to Reduce 75% of Hog Farm’s Electric Load with Solar Power

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MISHAWAKA, Indiana, Jan 4, 2019 — Emergent Solar Energy is proud to announce the completion of the Resler Feeder Hog solar array. The project will provide clean, solar energy to the northern Indiana hog finishing operation and will offset more than 75% of the farm’s energy load.
This solar project is one of the state’s largest confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) solar arrays. The project demonstrates the commitment of the Resler farm to reduce energy costs, protect the environment, gain energy independence and invest in the long-term benefits of on-farm solar.
The owner of Resler Feeder Hogs, Kraig Resler, had this to say about his decision to switch to solar. “My son Tyler and I are always discussing how to make our 7000-pig operation more cost efficient and environmentally friendly. After researching solar we found Jeremy Lipinski at Emergent Solar Energy and the project was a go. We have been very pleased with Emergent Solar’s guidance through the process and are excited that our completed solar array will have a positive impact on the environment and save us money on electricity for years to come.”
The solar array is rated at 155 kw DC and will produce over 200,000 kwh of energy per year. This will cover approximately 75% of the farm’s energy demand and reduce energy costs by the same amount. This equates to a reduction of 3500 tons of carbon emissions over 25 years.
The solar project has been completed following finance and construction lead by the Emergent Solar team. This project was awarded a USDA REAP grant that helped reimburse some of the farm’s initial investment. The USDA grant, federal tax incentives, along with net-metering will produce savings that will defray the costs of the project by more than 65% overall.
Chris Rohaly, Engineering and Operations Manager of Green Alternatives Inc, an Emergent Solar subcontractor involved with this project commented, “this was a challenging site. Space was limited for the desired system size, and the tie-in to the utility feed required a long trench. But we iterated design until we reached the optimum between the farm’s goals and site constraints. This system will be a good performer.”
Emergent Solar Energy, headquartered at Purdue Research Park, in West Lafayette, Indiana, focuses largely on the Indiana agricultural sector. “This is our largest farm solar project to date, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the result. The project economics and production numbers are quite remarkable, and this will be a great investment for the farm” said Emergent Solar Energy’s Managing Partner, Jeremy Lipinski. “As Emergent Solar continues to bring on-farm solar solutions to the Indiana agricultural community, we were pleased to work with Resler Feeder Hogs and the Resler farm family in the implementation of this project.”
The solar array was commissioned in late November.
About Emergent Solar Energy
Emergent Solar Energy is one of the leading commercial solar construction firms in the State of Indiana. Headquartered at Purdue Research Park, in West Lafayette, Indiana, the company provides solar
solutions to the commercial and industrial, municipal and agricultural sectors across the state of Indiana.
Emergent Solar seeks to bring renewable energy to the communities it serves and to help organizations
gain energy independence while achieving their sustainability and stewardship goals.
For further information, please contact:
Jeremy Lipinski
Managing Partner
Emergent Solar Energy
Ph. 765-753-9155
jeremy@emergentsolar.energy
www.emergentsolar.energy