Rodman Lott & Sons Farm
Crop Farmer in Seneca Falls, NY Saves With Solar
Project Details
Financial Impact
Financial impact figures are not available for this project.
Financial Highlights
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64% installation cost covered by tax credits & grants
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7 yr. expected time for system payback
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13.2% ROI
System Overview
224 solar panels and 2 inverters
72.8 kW System
Production: 86,993 kWh annually
Environmental Impact
Tons of CO2 Offset / Year:
67.7
Tree Offset / Year:
1,574.6
Barrels of Oil Offset / Year:
142.7
Limiting Recurring Expenses
For many farmers, electric costs are an unavoidable recurring expense – and they can add up quickly.
Rodman Lott & Son Farms’ 400,000-bushel drying and storage facility consumes 80% of the farm’s electricity in just two months during the fall harvest. With New York’s high electric rates, Lott was eager to find a less expensive way to power his farm.
Turning to solar energy, Lott installed a solar array that can power those machines and the rest of the farm, which frees up money to invest elsewhere.
Solar Energy or Wind Turbine?
When Lott first started looking for a way to reduce electricity costs, he leaned towards a wind turbine. However, the deal fell through and he began looking into solar.
With plenty of low electricity bills under his belt, Lott feels now that solar was the best option all along.
“I now think solar is a better option due to the lack of moving parts, making it less maintenance. Also, the ability to size the system to exact electricity needs is an advantage” – Rodman Lott, The Finger Lakes Times
Does Solar Really Work in New York?
New York is not known as The Sunshine State. So how well could an electricity-generating system dependent on sunshine do?
Solar systems can perform very well in New York, and many attractive federal and local incentives make the system’s payback remarkably quick.
With the federal tax credit, accelerated depreciation, a NYSERDA grant, and a USDA REAP grant, Lott installed his system for just 17% of the cost.
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