Our Second Project: 37.8kW PV

October 24, 2017: The equipment was delivered on October 5th and installation went quickly, thanks to the great team at Buselli Solutions. The 126 PV panels look great on the barn in this video made by WNEP-TV. The electrical inspection was completed on Friday, and today PPL has approved it, so now the system will be generating all the electricity used by Sky and Monique's home, the Anthill Farm, the farm workers' lodging, plus selling some extra back to the grid. The USDA grant should be finalized once the system has been operating successfully for 30 days.

August 31, 2017: It's happening! After raising more than $60,000 from our membership, via sales of Preferred Shares earlier this month, the Co-op has successfully financed a 37.8kW solar PV system to go on the barn roof at the Anthill Farm Agroforestry. The loan paperwork was signed this morning, and except for a few minor items (like updating the USDA to ensure the grant funds are still good), Anthill is ready to authorize the first deposit on construction. The exciting thing is that Anthill's loan payments, along with sales of excess electricity, will be lower cost than their current annual electricity bills.

The next step is filing the necessary interconnection paperwork with PPL Electric utility. Then the contractor, Buselli Solutions, will order the equipment (126 LG panels of 300w each, and 3 inverters made by SolarEdge) and begin installing them as soon as possible after that. Sky Ballentine, owner of Anthill, is already working to clear the stored equipment from the side of the barn in preparation. 

We'll post more pictures as soon as construction gets started, hopefully before the end of September. Please join us for detailed update on the project at our annual membership meeting, coming up at 7pm on October 3rd at the 648 Park St. in Honesdale. Thanks to all our members, and especially those who have invested their money to make clean energy in our community and this project possible!

May 6, 2017:  We are excited to announce our Co-op's second Solar PV project has been approved to move forward! Anthill Farm Agroforestry in Bethany PA (outside of Honesdale) is a sustainable farming operation, producing a variety of fruits and vegetables for local retail and wholesale markets. They will be building a large ~38kW solar array on the roof of their steel barn, intended to provide more than enough electricity for farm operations.

This time, rather than owning the PV system, the Co-op will be providing a simple long-term loan to Anthill, plus serve as technical advisor. Anthill has applied for a USDA REAP grant, and looks likely to receive around $13,000 toward the system's construction cost. The Co-op will be raising the remaining funds from its members. Once operational Anthill will see a positive cashflow since the annual loan payments will be less than they are currently paying their utility for electricity; plus as a commercial business they benefit from a 30% federal tax credit and accelerated depreciation.

About Anthill Farm

Established in 2007, Anthill Farm is a 35 acre agroforestry operation nestled between the Pocono and Catskills Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania.   

Agroforestry blends annual production in alleyways between perennial rows; these systems are spatially designed for the greatest photosynthetic capture and maximum biodiversity production.  This design mimics the most dynamic, active state of succession in natural systems. ​

Disturbance is a key component as the alleyways must be kept open to allow light to penetrate and ripen fruit; air must also flow freely to reduce pathogens.  This can be achieved by grazing animals as in Silvopasture, or more often, by periodic mowing.  ​