A dairy farm in New Brunswick has used solar power to reduce its electricity expenses

Jesse Mitham is a farmer whose family has been in the business for two generations.

After facing high energy bills for years, Jesse and his father decided to start a solar farm in addition to their traditional farm.

Jesse mentioned in an interview that the cost of electricity keeps increasing and they have always been interested in green energy. He talked about considering wind energy 25 years ago.

Rothiemay Farms is a dairy and egg farm with over 100 cattle and 3,000 chickens.

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The solar farm provides all the electricity for the farm with a ground-mount 100 kW system, which was engineered and manufactured in the Saint John region.

Jesse said they chose this route at a reasonable price as a way of diversifying and investing elsewhere.

The Smart Energy Company in Quispamsis built the grid, and it has successfully transitioned at least 17 farms to solar power.

Jeff McAloon, chief development officer and co-owner of Smart Energy Company, mentioned that farmers are struggling with increasing electricity prices, and generating their own solar power is a priority.

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He also noted that farms are always looking to reduce costs, and using greener technology such as solar power is a way to achieve this.

McAloon expressed that it is a great service to help farmers with modern technology to improve their emission control, aligning with their role as stewards of the land.

The company is expanding to other parts of Canada as more farms seek to adopt green technology. Organizations like Dairy Farmers of Canada are aiming for net zero emissions by 2050.

Jesse hopes that the solar farm will make the farm more sustainable in the face of rising energy costs and labor shortages, expressing excitement about the environmental impact.

He mentioned that he is more excited about contributing to the environment than the cost offset, considering the future for his seven-year-old child.

“I have a seven-year-old who I’m thinking about his future as well.”