Transcript:
Electricity prices are rising across the country. But a group of organic farmers near Pittsburgh is less affected by these rising costs thanks to rooftop solar panels.
Holmes: “When you’re creating that energy yourself, you have stability, and that’s kind of what farmers like, is stability.”
Nathan Holmes owns the grocery distribution company Three Rivers Grown. And he also helps manage Clarion River Organics, a cooperative of Amish farmers that supplies produce to stores in Pittsburgh and beyond.
He says the warehouse where the co-op stores its crops has three walk-in coolers, which use a lot of energy.
Holmes: “Especially when it’s 97 degrees outside and you’re trying to keep produce at 34.”
The warehouse was built with a south-facing roof so solar panels could be added one day.
But the group could not afford the up-front costs until a few years ago, when Three Rivers Grown received a $20,000 grant from the federal government’s Rural Energy for America Program.
That enabled them to finally invest in clean energy.
Today, the solar panels have made their operation more climate-friendly and are saving them money on electricity.
Holmes: “For farmers to have cheap, secure electricity long-term is a good thing.”
Reporting credit: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media / Thanks to Pasa Sustainable Agriculture for logistical support.
