Solar Array

I started researching solar energy in 2015, a year after Goronson Farm was founded. I interviewed 7 different companies and thought a lot about what I learned and the work aesthetic of each company. I kept going back to Assured Solar Energy over and over again. Rob Taisey, Assured Solar Energy Founder and President, had been involved in the Solarize Freeport Project and a lot of other work that fit with our own sense of environmental responsibility.

I looked long and hard at the farm set up and decided that making use of the roofs was the best design for us. We have been very careful not to cut down trees on our farm. Although solar trackers (which follow the sun like a sunflower does) were attractive, as a small farm we decided not to give up that valuable agricultural space, not to cut trees to make room for a piece of machinery in the landscape and installed our first solar array system in August of 2021. It is an 80-panel roof system that allows us to produce about 80% of our own energy needs - plus send energy out to the grid.

In addition to covering a good chunk of our electrical use, it has been part of our family’s path to a clean energy lifestyle. We added 2 batteries and a generator in 2022 to cover extended blackouts to protect the valuable crops growing in our high tunnel.

Solar was an investment for us and one that we did not take lightly. It was important to choose the right installer and the right system. We made a rule for ourselves that the project would have to pay for itself in energy savings before the warranty ran out. With increased electrical prices and increased blackouts in our area over the past year, we feel that we will meet that goal. And we’ve already offset the equivalent of 66k lbs of carbon dioxide emissions. 

Now our agricultural work is powered sustainably by the energy of the sun. We hope to lead through example and showcase the tangible benefits of solar power, to inspire other farms and families to take the leap towards a more sustainable future. We agree with the Maine Farmland Trust that solar arrays on farms should speak to balanced solar siting that prioritizes the protection of important agricultural soils and keeps agricultural lands working.