Thursday, August 21, 2014

Pecan farm begins to save with sun

Sunshine is something New Mexico has plenty of and which offers residents an opportunity to harness low-cost, clean energy. The Four Daughters Land & Cattle Company, owned by the Mechenbier family, are taking advantage of the sun’s gifts, plus a hefty grant from the USDA Rural Energy for America Program. At the Mechenbier’s pecan farm south of Belen, a 564-panel solar system has been installed to provide the electricity needed to power irrigation pumps, making the farm more profitable and competitive. The total energy capabilities of the system is 147 kilowats and cost $428,402 to construct, but the family was able to offset the expense with $107,100 from a REAP grant. Annual farm savings on electricity costs are expected to be $25,000 at a minimum, but when the pecan processing plant is built within the next three years, savings will be at least $60,000 annually, said Harvey Crowely, the farm accountant. Crowley says the Mechenbiers will receive about $0.05 per kW production credit from PNM when the system exceeds its consumption and produces surplus energy. “The system will pay for itself in about 3 1/2 years,” said Mike Mechenbier, the patriarch of the family. “For an investment like this — for it to have a break-even in 3 1/2 years — is unbelievable. It makes extremely good financial sense for people to consider this as an alternative to other fuels.”...more

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