Farms Find Alternatives To Power Up
BOSTON - Sunlight, wind, manure among fuel sources used for electricity.Mike Smolak of Smolak Farms in North Andover passes the solar panels he installed to help cut the farm's electricity costs |
With little room left to grow and spiraling energy bills to pay, Merrimack Valley farmers have turned to a new cash crop to make ends meet: alternative energy.
Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts Petrochemical fertilizers for fields, diesel fuel for tractors, and natural gas heaters for greenhouses all help make farmers everywhere depend more than most on fossil fuels. But in the Merrimack Valley, farmers are finding that a little land goes a long way when harvesting sun, wind, water, and even poop power.
"Farmers were the first conservationists on the planet; they are always in the lead with these things," said Mike Smolak, owner of Smolak Farms in North Andover. "And I don't like being hostage to oil-producing countries."
So last year, Smolak Farms invested in solar photovoltaic panels, about 80 of them, each about 2 feet by 6 feet. They are now converting sunlight into electricity on little-used south-facing farmland that is fast becoming one of the most productive fields since Smolaks started planting strawberries.
Smolak said the array of panels and hardware cost about $70,000, with some $30,000 coming from a Massachusetts Energy Collaborative grant. In return, Smolak estimates that from May to December the farm chops about 30 percent off its $2,500 monthly electric bill.