Turley Publications photos by Jonathan Cook

The solar array installed earlier this summer at Ragged Hill Orchard is even large than what owner Keith Arsenault thought it would be.

Farming the sun

Orchard owner shows new solar installation

 

By Jonathan Cook

Turley Publications Reporter

WEST BROOKFIELD – Sunshine is a vital ingredient in the apples, raspberries, blueberries, peaches and electricity at Ragged Hill Orchard.

“People are interested,” said orchard owner Keith Arsenault of his new solar installation.

The project got the go-ahead from the state in late winter and earlier this summer, 72 photovoltaic panels were installed, producing more than 90 kilowatts per hour at peak sun exposure.

Arsenault said it is part of his end of the bargain to show the public how it works and he has been doing that.

His neighbors, for starters, have shown a keen interest. Arsenault said he likes to tell them “Hey, you’re using my electricity.” After all, he said, during peak hours his operation can’t use all the power being produced. When that happens, the electricity goes out into the grid and gets used up by the next consumer across the street and down the road.

Now that peaches and blueberries are ready for picking, the public is coming out to see the 1,080 square feet of solar panels. When stopping to pick up a blueberry bucket, the electric meters can be read for real time production totals. The digital meters installed for the project contain cell phones that automatically call in the results to the state. But before those were installed, said Arsenault, his old gear-driven meter actually turned backwards as excess power left his property and entered the grid.

The total production will create 80 percent of what the orchard uses in its refrigerator. “We bring in apples in September and pull the heat out of them.” That keeps the walk in refrigerator running round the clock, which, before solar, cost as much as $600 per month. Asrsenault said he is already considering more renewable energy, but this time, he’s got his eye on the wind.

A grant of $20,000 to help pay for the project was administered by the Department of Agriculture.