T h e B u s in e s s Of D a ir y incentives that will allow more people to take advantage of this renewable energy source. You can reduce your carbon footprint while saving money.” Martin’s company has been enrolling farms, businesses and private residences for the last year-and-a-half and seeing more farms leasing land to solar investors. She noted that New York State and California have been leading the way in enrolling businesses and local residents in these programs, but she expects to see almost every state in the U.S. offer similar opportunities in the near future. At present, only a small portion of New Yorkers are enrolled — and Martin attributes that, in part, to a slowdown during the pandemic — but she is very optimistic that “this clean affordable option will continue to grow as more and more people understand how it works and how they can reap the benefits.” Karen Veazy of Lamb Farms in Western New York decided to enroll in a program with the assistance of EPC. The Lamb and Veazy families that operate the dairy farm were interested in the program as a way to save money on their energy bills. The typical energy bill on
a farm can total into the tens of thousands of dollars each year. Veazy said the farm doesn’t have solar panels on their property but instead decided to enroll in a nearby community solar project that reduces the energy costs on the farm by about 10%. The savings has helped the farm, and she said the services of EPC were very helpful in getting started. “It made good sense for us,” Veazy said. “Energy Partners Consultants helped us get started last year and has been with us all along the way in case we have questions. But, so far, it’s been an easy process that was a good financial decision for us.” While it may all sound too good to be true, it’s not, according to Martin. The only catch is that community solar is only available in certain areas, and projects require consumer demand to be built. “Fortunately, the demand is growing and greater access to community solar projects is on the rise,” she said. For more information on enrolling in solar projects in your area, contact Energy Partner Consultants at info@ epchq.com or visit www.energypartnerconsultants.com.
Who Discovered Solar Energy?
In 1839, French physicist Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect, which is the operating principle behind solar power. At age 19, Becquerel was experimenting in his father’s laboratory with electrodes, silver chloride and silver bromide when he created the world’s first photovoltaic cell. (His father, Henri Becquerel, helped discover radioactivity.) (Source: Archives.org)
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