Not much has changed over the years in the Phillips family, whose members have been farming and raising cattle at the RL Valley Ranch in Guysville since 1926.
But Rob Phillips, the fourth in his family to own the land, is mixing things up a bit.
Almost nine decades after the family started farming in Southeast Ohio, Phillips spent about $20,000 to have solar panels installed in his yard to have his property converted to running on solar power.
“If you can hedge your risk and there is a way to do it, and it pencils out, why not?” Phillips said. His decision represents an ongoing trend within Athens County, the state of Ohio and across the country, said Gerald Kelly, communications director for Third-Sun Solar, a solar energy provider located at 762 W. Union St. in Athens.
Third-Sun Solar started off doing numerous installations for specialty farmers growing organic or exotic produce, only to see the trend become more popular in the industry.
“Now, we’re seeing much more interest from mainstream farmers, such as dairy farmers or those who grow grain,” Kelly said. “People who do a bunch of different things.”
Jay Warmke, vice president of Green Energy Ohio, a nonprofit organization that advocates for environmentally friendly practices in the state, is partnering with his wife, Annie, and the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association to provide courses for those “mainstream” farmers on how to design, install and maintain solar arrays.
The sessions will be held in Columbus on June 16 to 20 and in Wooster on
Nov. 10 to 14.
“It’s designed for those with no electrical background, simply looking to be consumers, and in this case targeting the farmers and saying, ‘If you are so inclined to go out and put in your own system, here’s a way you can learn all of the information you need,’ ” Warmke said.
The solar energy provider sold solar arrays to roughly a half-dozen farmers over the past calendar year, including Phillips, Kelly said, adding that farmers are “one market segment that is moving forward now increasingly with solar.”
Phillips’ 9kW system is designed to produce more power in the summer, when sunlight is plentiful, and less during a cloud covered day in February. But Phillips said the array is able to produce enough power in all conditions, even if covered by multiple inches of snow.
Once absorbed by the panels, the energy runs through underground wires and into an inverter placed along the side of Phillips’ house, where the power is converted from direct current, DC, to alternating current, AC.
“To me, solar energy is following a similar path as mobile telephones,” Warmke said. “In the early days, we used to joke about how wireless phones would never catch on. Because why would they? Well, fast-forward 20 years and six out of seven billion people own mobile phones. What we’re seeing with solar is an exponential growth, and Ohio is actually one of the leaders in the solar field.”
As of 2011, Ohio was second in solar panel production throughout the United States, according to the Toledo Blade.
Locally, Third-Sun Solar has installed solar panels at the Holzer Clinic and Athens Middle School.
Around the state, the company has provided solar arrays for the Kent State Athletic Center, Wayne National Forest headquarters and Akron Metro Transit Center.
“We’re hedging our risk against rising electricity costs and we’re locking ourselves into one single rate for essentially the next 25 years,” Phillips said.
Recognizing the trend and acknowledging the environmental benefits, Phillips said he had multiple reasons for switching over to solar to power his home and barn, including that his family can lock in its electricity rate for the next 25 years.
“That was the biggest thing,” Phillips said. “And we’re doing something good for the environment, lessening our need for other power sources. Got kids now, so it’s something to think about for the future.”
Kelly said many farmers are thinking like Phillips, about passing down the business to the next generation.
Phillips said he was first turned on to solar energy several years ago when he began to notice others using the renewable source. With panel prices coming down in the past year and a half, Phillips decided to get serious.
Besides, staying true to his cattle-ranching roots, he said he’s not afraid to be a trendsetter.
“I think it’s great, lead the charge if you will,” Phillips said. “Getting it off and going, I guess we’re the guinea pigs.”
@akarl_smith
as299810@ohiou.edu
