Willow Wisp Organic Farm Solar PV Project
What does 3000 square feet of solar panels look like? Let's find out!
April 10, 2018: The Clean Energy Co-op is extra excited to announce our next and largest project to date - installing 50kWs of solar photovoltaic (PV) at Willow Wisp Organic Farm in Damascus Pennsylvania. Last week, the Co-op signed a MoU with Willow Wisp, to finance up to 168 panels to go on the barn roof pictured above. The planned PV system will provide the farm with all of its current electricity needs, with the excess sold to PPL Electric Utilities for distribution to its other customers. Our first step is submission of a grant application to the USDA's REAP program to hopefully provide about $12,000, with the farm and Co-op providing the remainder of the nearly $95,000 cost of the project. Similar to our Anthill Farm project last year, the Co-op will be raising the required funds from its membership via a private Preferred Share offering, so that it can then provide Willow Wisp with a long-term modest loan.
Willow Wisp Organic Farm was established in 2008 by Greg Swartz and Tannis Kowalchuk and produces over 45 varieties of certified organic vegetables, small fruit, culinary herbs, and cut flowers. After moving their operations to a larger stretch of fertile land alongside the Delaware River last year, the farm continues to make infrastructure investments, increase staff, production and its profitability. Greg says "Solar energy makes sense for us. As a farm, we harvest solar energy when growing our produce, and using solar-generated electricity to run our irrigation pumps, refrigeration, and other needs is just another step in improving the sustainability for our farm, our community and our world."
Willow Wisp Organic Farm was established in 2008 by Greg Swartz and Tannis Kowalchuk and produces over 45 varieties of certified organic vegetables, small fruit, culinary herbs, and cut flowers. After moving their operations to a larger stretch of fertile land alongside the Delaware River last year, the farm continues to make infrastructure investments, increase staff, production and its profitability. Greg says "Solar energy makes sense for us. As a farm, we harvest solar energy when growing our produce, and using solar-generated electricity to run our irrigation pumps, refrigeration, and other needs is just another step in improving the sustainability for our farm, our community and our world."
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Page last updated: April 11, 2018
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Copyright 2018 Clean Energy Cooperative Inc.
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