I was talking with a farmer in March and a few things about that conversation stuck out, which I wanted to share more broadly.

1. Did you know that there is a cherry farm in New Zealand which is 100% electric, tractors included? Let me introduce you to Forest Lodge Orchard (https://electriccherries.nz/). They ran the numbers for TCO (total cost of ownership) and had the Bank of New Zealand willing to help provide the capital up front. This is a case study worth a look.

Forest Lodge Orchard in New Zealand serves as a compelling case study by being the world’s first 100% electric, zero fossil fuel cherry farm, powered by its own 160kW solar array and 300kWh battery system. The 6-hectare farm achieved this by replacing 20 fossil fuel machines with electric versions, including the country’s first electric tractor, which drastically reduced operational costs to about $2 per hour. Ultimately, the orchard demonstrates that electrification is both environmentally sustainable and profitable, securing NZ0 Certification and seeing consumers pay a 15% premium for its produce. YouTtube has a 5 minute interview about the farm: tinyurl.com/jdah546

2. Have you heard of the terms: Balcony Solar? Vertical Bifacial Solar Panels?

I. Balcony Solar is DIY friendly, plug and play, and low cost for a balcony or deck railing or in your yard. These typically have a dedicated circuit to feed to your house through a regular outlet. Utah and Maine were the first two states to approve the reclassification of up to 1200 watt of solar, and they are a low cost way to shave some money off your electric bill. Where is Ohio and West Virginiain approving these? In Ohio, HB 755 was introduced (https://ohiohouse.gov/legislation/136/hb755) but West Virginia’s Legislature has nothing introduced. You might call your representative after learning more.

II. Vertical Bifacial Solar Panels are panels which have solar sensitive cells on both sides often used in ground mount to take advantage of reflections off the next row of panels and the ground. These panels also have been installed in place of traditional fencing. It becomes an investment with returns rather than a pure cost and provides the same function as a barrier.

3. Solar Interconnection and growing your solar for new electricity needs. U.S. utilities don’t make connecting your solar to the grid easy or cheap. Two areas where reforms would make energy more affordable. I wanted to share a work around which I’ve found solar owners didn’t know was possible. When you buy your solar and go through the interconnection paperwork to get your solar array connected to serve electricity, you sign a contract for a specific size solar array for the approval of the utility. It may be the right size initially, but say you find you want to add one more solar panel… well usually you would have to go through all the interconnection paperwork again. That is unless you have a battery system that supports direct connection for additional panels. These battery systems allow for adding extra panels to charge the battery and stop charging if the battery is full. The additional batteries would not pass their electricity to the grid. This way you are within the terms of your contract but have the additional capacity to generate and store the energy.

If you would like to talk more about these or other climate corner topics, stop by the MOVCA tent at the Marietta Armory in Marietta between 10 a.m. and 1p.m. on Saturday, April 25.

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Jonathan Brier is a Marietta resident, information scientist, and Eagle Scout. You can reach him via https://brierjon.com or email: climatecorner@brierjon.com