GUILFORD, CT - U. S. Sen. Chris Murphy toured five different area locales Thursday to push his climate change initiative. One of the places he visited was Bishop's Orchards - the site of largest farm energy project undertaken yet to date in the state of Connecticut.
Bishop's has built an extensive solar farm to fuel its operations.
On a tour of Bishop's solar farm with state officials and Rep. Sean Scanlon, D- Guilford, Bishop's Co-CEO Keith Bishop showed off the recently completed second solar 360 kW installation which sits on land across from the iconic Bishop's grocery store.
"Going solar, especially in a business our size is an investment," Bishop said. "But it's an investment that has a return."
There are two systems on the farm. One system installed is on 1.1 acres and consists of 1,108 panels in 1,108 panels in 17 rows. The second array is on the roof of the farm market, consisting of 381 panels.
The combined panels are 477 kW DC and are expected to produce 596,700 KWh per year, which, according to Bishop, will offset about 80 percent of the farm's annual electric usage.
Total annual farm usage is 668,000 kWh with an annual cost of $106,000.
Bishop told Murphy the site selected for the ground mounted system is a hillside with shallow soils and rock ledge that "you can't farm on."
"Our vision is to preserve and enhance the value of the land for current and future generations," Bishop said of the farm that has been in family hands for close to 150 years.
Bishop said if all goes according to plan the system, when factoring all the grants received, will have paid for itself in eight years. "And it's a system that should last 20 years or more so we're ahead of the game," Bishop said.
Bishop said his family's operation have been "longtime stewards of the environment and healthy eating for the community. For us it's a matter of pride to operate our family business in a way that reduces energy costs and also lowers our carbon footprint."
"We need to get serious about climate change," Murphy said, which is why he added he made a point of visiting the many different businesses on Thursday. "I'm proud of the leadership we have in Connecticut on this issue."
"We are a climate sensitive state," Murphy said. "And it's my job to bring the success stories of businesses such as Bishop's back to Washington and spread the word."
Bishop's Orchards used federal tax credits and a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Energy For America (REAP) grant to pay for its solar project.
The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) provides financial assistance to agricultural producers and rural small businesses in America to purchase, install, and construct renewable energy systems.
Renewable energy projects for the Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loan and Grant Program include wind, solar, biomass and geothermal, and hydrogen derived from biomass or water using wind, solar, or geothermal energy sources.
These grants are limited to 25 percent of a proposed project's cost, and a loan guarantee may not exceed $25 million.
