Countryside Energy helped this multi-generation family-owned and operated dairy farm in western Ohio go solar! The farm has about 400 cows milked several times a day, and now features a 144 KW solar array on the dairy barn's roof that will produce more than $20,000 a year in electricity and credits for the farm annually. 

Our process began by evaluating their farm and better understanding their goals. The family had recently invested in a new sand separation system which improved conditions for their cows and reduced bedding expenses, and also added additional ventilation fans to keep their herd comfortable during the hot summer months. 

Both of these investments made great improvements to their operations and animal well-being, but added new large electricity draws and the farm was regularly seeing electricity bills from their local co-op of over $3,000 a month.

After a site visit the Countryside Energy team and the family collaborated on choosing the best part of the farm to install the modules. We considered a ground-mounted installation, the decision was made for the west-sloping dairy barn roof to host the modules. A rooftop mount minimized the impact of the panels on existing farm operations, and reduced installation costs as well.