Solar Hot Water - Dairy Farm Applications • Earth Energy Innovations • Solar Installations Throughout Central PA

Solar Hot Water - Dairy Farm Applications

The Challenge:

Dairy farms use a tremendous amount of energy to heat the water used for the cleaning and sanitizing necessary for milking operations. Whether electricity or a fossil fuel such as propane or heating oil, the energy cost can amount from 25% to over 40% of the energy costs attributed to the dairy operation. Meanwhile energy prices continue to fluctuate and in general the price of energy delivered to the farm continues to increase.
In addition to their high costs, traditional energy sources contribute to the ongoing problem of greenhouse gas emissions and environmental concerns raised by the harvesting procedures used to obtain these fuels.

What If:

What if dairy farms could invest in technology that not only reduced their environmental impact but also enabled them to lock in their water heating costs at competitive pricing for the next 20 to 25 years?

The Process:

While dairy farms have common procedures, each facility has its own specific equipment and methods. At no cost to the dairy farmer, a qualified Earth Energy Innovations professional will visit the dairy operation and perform a site visit, verifying the actual equipment and facility characteristics as well as reviewing the operation’s energy costs over the past 12 months. Once the site visit is completed, EEI will prepare a detailed Performance and Financial Analysis for the proposed project. At this point, the representative will also propose a time line for the project. When both parties agree to the design, terms and costs, a contract is signed to engage EEI for a turn-key installation of the Solar Thermal system.

The Solution:

Farmers in the Middle Atlantic region are increasingly turning to solar thermal technology to address their hot water heating requirements. Solar Thermal is capable of capturing two to three times the energy of its cousin technology, Solar Electric (PV). The evacuated- tube technology, installed by Earth Energy Innovations, LLC (EEI), provides higher water temperatures and superior cold weather performance as compared to traditional flat-plate collector technology.

Case Study:

The System at Clark Crest Farm Inc.

Located in Quarryville, PA, Clark Crest Farm is a 600-head dairy farm. Prior to the installation of a 10-collector Solar Thermal System, the farm relied on electricity and propane as the energy sources for their hot water heating.

A 1,205 gallon storage tank is located on the barn floor underneath the collector array, which is mounted on the roof. The closed loop system uses a nontoxic propylene glycol solution as the heat transfer liquid which circulates through the collectors and a heat exchanger inside the solar storage tank.

On average, the Solar Hot Water System will produce 520,000 Btus per day, resulting in an annual energy savings equivalent to 55.6 MWhrs! This translates into an annual savings of over $4,000.00 (early 2012 energy costs).