In our last blog post, we discussed a few of the main reasons why it’s worth it to invest in a solar energy system for your commercial farm. These include energy conservation, lower utility bills, state and federal tax credits, and the energy independence farmers get when they rely on free energy from the sun rather than an unpredictable market (especially oil and natural gas), weather patterns, and water availability. Now that you know some of the main benefits of having a solar farm installed for your agricultural company, let’s look at some of the ways solar energy can be used in the agricultural industry!

The agricultural industry is one of the largest consumers of energy in the world, as modern farming technology and techniques rely directly on oil, gasoline, electricity, diesel, and natural gas. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “In 2014, the agricultural sector consumed 1,714 trillion BTU of energy, accounting for 1.74 percent of total U.S. energy consumption,” and the numbers have continued to go up every single year.

Not only does this energy consumption have a major impact on the environment, but it also costs farmers thousands of dollars every year. The good news is that there is an alternative energy solution out there that can save farmers a significant amount of money and reduce their environmental impact: agricultural solar systems. From your commercial solar system experts at Premier Renewables, here is a brief rundown of solar systems for farms and why they’re worth getting.

We’ve all seen them — those massive clusters of solar systems sprawling along rural hillsides, creating a dark blue wave of renewable energy. But what exactly are these “solar farms,” and what purpose do they serve? Our experts in solar energy at Premier Renewables in San Francisco are here to give you the lowdown on these incredible sources of renewable energy and how they are helping California go green.

Solar farms and farms are a natural combination. They both provide necessary energy for the world and draw it directly from the immense power of the sun. When we at Premier Renewables say immense, we mean it. The sun pours more energy on the planet in 20 days than all of the world’s oil, coal, and natural gases reserves in the world combined. This power and the natural combination of technology and business makes solar power a pretty attractive option throughout the San Francisco area of California.

In the past several years, solar power has become even more efficient and effective than ever before. The cost of its construction has fallen drastically and its cost to kw hour rivals, and in some cases beats, coal. Installing a solar farm instead of paying to lay new powerline often becomes cost effective within a few dozen yards. California, in particular, is very welcoming to solar powered agriculture, and even allows you to ignore sales and use taxes if your farm uses over 51 percent of their solar energy to power equipment that is used to help grow or harvest crops.

If you are interested in solar power systems for your farming operation, business, government building, or non-profit, Premiere Renewables is the best Solar farm and solar system installer in the San Francisco area of California. We are a full-service solar installer that custom designs your electrical system with all of your financial and power needs in mind, allowing for better energy distribution and efficiency. We ensure that your investment will pay off with our financial analysis before we break ground and offer maintenance after the solar power system is installed. In today’s blog we want to talk about the ways that solar power can be used on your farm or mixed farming operation.

Photovoltaic solar power is a relative newcomer to many industries. Solar technology is only a few decades old, and the idea of powering your business or farm with solar power is a bit alien to most people and the technology is even more alien. Traditional power sources usually involve burning a fuel or some reaction that heats water and drives a turbine that generates electricity. Everything from coal to nuclear essentially works that way with differing levels of complexity, cost, safety, and efficiency. However, solar power does something novel and extremely different. Here at Premiere Renewables, we strive to make solar technologies and their benefits known to businesses across a range of sectors. The US and especially right here in the San Francisco area of California, there are a range of incentive programs for solar powered businesses and agriculture. In today’s blog we’ll be helping you better understand the technology behind commercial scale solar power systems.

Few sectors fit better with solar energy than farming. Both of them are part of many people’s fantasies of the quiet life, and a future where the people continue to thrive. In Central California feeding both crops and solar systems from the abundant sunlight only makes sense. Here at Premier Renewables, we build solar farms for commercial, agricultural, and industrial clients to help save the planet, and save them their bottom dollar. In today’s blog, we are discussing the natural partnership of the solar farms and agriculture, and how both sectors benefit.

Solar Power in Southern california is hopping, with more than 10 percent of the entire state’s energy coming from Solar. Here at Premier Renewables, we offer solar farm investments for commercial, industrial, and agribusiness companies along with, non profits, and governmental entities. In this blog, we’ll be touching on the importance of solar energy to businesses in South and Central Valley California.

Welcome to Premier Renewables’ inaugural blog. Throughout our blog, we’ll be discussing and examining the world of solar on a large scale, from commercial solar farms to what the technologies are and how they can help any business, including yours. As the world continues to change and evolve in this next century, solar power will continue to be a frontrunning technology that helps to transform lives and livelihoods at home and, especially, in business. At Premier Renewables, we specialize in helping industries thrive through the partnership of our long-lasting and energy-saving solar farms. In today’s blog, we will discuss some of the fundamentals of solar power and business.

For business, commercial, industrial, and agricultural solar farm installation in the Southern California, Southern Central Valley, and the California Central Coast areas, contact us today!

First off, what is solar power? Solar power is the creation of electricity directly from the sun. This process can occur in a variety of means, but for our purposes of understanding the industry, large-scale energy production is generally created through solar photovoltaics (solar systems) and/or solar thermal energy.

Yes, the solar industry is excited for the major victory in NEM 2.0, assuring that customers earn retail-rate payments for their excess energy. This policy has helped increase the amount of solar installed in California. This new policy also requires a transition to time-of-use rates (TOU) for net-metered customers. What is a TOU rate? Utility companies like PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E, will charge different prices during different times of the day. The purpose of this is to attempt to better match real-time energy costs across the grid. Most agricultural and commercial customers are already required to use TOU rates, so no real change there.

Every year Grid Alternatives provides a spring break program where select students from all around the world are chosen to spend a week learning about solar in California. Premier Renewables, a local agricultural solar company was able to volunteer to help Grid Alternatives and their spring breakers take a tour of Topaz Solar Farm. Tori Degen, the coordinator of the program noted that “It was an awesome opportunity for students to tour an incredible project that many people don’t get to see. I think it opened their eyes to the possibility of a career in solar, something they may not have considered before seeing Topaz. The students are majoring in a number of subjects – law, pre-med, environmental science and policy – so it was neat for them to hear that solar careers aren’t just in construction and installation. There’s a need for people in communications, development, project management, sales – across the board.” We were lucky enough to have the delightful Maria Kelly take us around the Solar Farm and explain to us the details regarding the project. Many of the spring breakers came from all around the world, and with Topaz solar farm being one of the world’s largest solar installations, they were excited to have the opportunity to tour the property, “I thought it was really amazing to be able to tour an area that people don’t normally have access to and learn about all the energy they are generating for so many communities and households in the region. I found the biology aspect of it incredible as well – how much thought and surveying they put in to the protection of the land and animal species that live there” said Shambhavi, a student from India.

2016 is just around the bend and many solar supporters are getting anxious about the future of the solar tax credit. Most of their worry stems from the belief that this is the ‘cliff’ for the industry. The solar industry has not only seen an immense amount of accelerated growth these last few years, but has been a positive investment for America as well. We are truly beginning to see the benefits of diversification, consumer choice, lower electricity bills, and job growth. Agricultural operations, dairies, colleges, and local schools, where solar once seemed far-fetched are now seeing the range of immediate and long term benefits through stability, savings, and their operations future success, it would be detrimental to put this growth to a halt.

Last week Premier Renewables drove out to Orange Cove, CA to meet with the District 22 Field Representative Rudy Mendoza and Sol Systems, to discuss solar energy’s impact on the local community and the State of California. Last year Premier Renewables completed a 900 kW solar energy system that provides 2,000 MWh of solar energy directly to the utility grid each year.

One of the main obstacles that the growth of clean energy has faced is people. People are inherently resistant to change and are skeptical of “new” technologies that stand to replace the old ways of doing things. With age often comes natural complacency, which is why many believe change, especially in terms of environmental initiatives, is in the hands of the youth. Many solar companies have combined this mentality with their solar technology by implementing their solar systems and awareness programs in school districts around the state.

Antioch Unified School District is one such district taking the solar pledge while also teaching their students the immense value and potential of solar energy. Beyond the educational benefits, it is estimated that the project will save the district up to $2 million in the first year alone, which will be redistributed through school programming and ultimately improve the district tenfold. Antioch is located just northwest of Modesto, where Premier Renewables is extensively involved in agricultural solar. We are excited that surrounding areas are finding practical applications for solar as well!

Last week, the Premier Renewables team attended the 2015 World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA, the largest agriculture expo in the world. This was their second year attending the show and it was a great success! The show featured many unique attractions including: 7 different tours ranging from wine tours to dairy tours, multiple seminars, a display of the top-10 new products and even a wine & cheese pavilion! With hundreds of different exhibitors, the team was able to check out some of the most innovative agricultural technology, as well as showcase their own photovoltaic technology for agricultural operations. Premier Renewables had a booth at the Expo where they had the opportunity to network with several people in different industries relating to agriculture. The team could tell from the expo that agriculture, like most other industries, is taking on a more ecocentric approach in their operations and their energy use. Premier Renewables is at the forefront of this sustainable approach in agriculture and felt lucky to share that with the rest of the attendees! With Premier Renewables as the only agricultural solar company at the expo, they truly enjoyed the opportunity to share new information about solar and programs available to help increase the success of agricultural operations around the world.

The largest agricultural trade show in the Northwest was last week in Portland, OR and Premier Renewables was thrilled to be a part of it! The show included: $40M of equipment and product displays, 7 acres of display space, 3 days of seminars and meetings and plenty of agricultural suppliers, buyers and growers. Premier Renewables was excited about this opportunity,considering their expansion into the Northwest this summer. Additionally, each day of the show was themed. Tuesday was particularly fun for the team because they were able to interact with students in the FFA (Future Farmers of America) program, which furthered their commitment to this generation of students. These students will majorly impact the agricultural industry in the future and will define the environmental principles to be implemented in subsequent agricultural systems. FFA day on Tuesday allowed the students to mingle with many industry professionals in addition to participating in a scavenger hunt, a contest and a travel scholarship opportunity. The team especially loved promoting the FFA organization and encouraging the youth towards pursuing careers in agriculture!