Integrating Renewable Energy into your Farm Plan

Integrating Renewable Energy into Your Sustainable Farm

• Scenic Valley Farms

• Scenic Valley Green Energy

• Wind Energy

• Solar Energy

• Solar Thermal Overview

• SVF Solar Thermal Design

• Temperature Data Loggers

• Economics

• Payback/ROI

Overview

• Designs and manages high tunnels, climate control systems, and solar thermal heating technology

• Five high tunnels in Minnesota and Wisconsin

• Produces organically certified tomatoes, peppers, blackberries, raspberries, herbs, and leafy green produce

• Decades of agriculture and engineering experience

Scenic Valley Farms

Scenic Valley Green Energy • Solid, long-term investment

• Generate income from electricity

• Promote sustainability by reducing C02 emissions

• Gain energy independence and protection from volatile electricity prices

• Offset tax liabilities

Affordable, Clean Energy from Small Wind Turbines for Homes, Farms, Businesses, Public Facilities and Investors

Sustainable High Tunnel Agriculture + Renewable Energy (SHARE-d) High Tunnels

• Joint venture high tunnel greenhouses

• Environmentally and financially sustainable

• Provides reliable supply of locally grown, organic produce

• Excess produce sold on the open market

• Harvest fruits and vegetables at optimum ripeness and flavor

• Increases yields and extends the growing season

• Merges the technologies to earn a rapid return on investment

Sustainable Agriculture. Clean Energy.

• Hybrid of open field and greenhouse production

• Non-permanent structures • Less expensive than

greenhouses • Crops planted in ground to

ensure superior taste • Create 12 month growing

season • Constructed with steel hoops,

covered with heat retaining, light dispersing, anti-drip plastic

• Plastic efficiently rolled up and down to manage air flow

• Drip irrigation optimizes water and natural fertilizer inputs.

• Versatile in size and shape • Incentives available at Federal

and State levels

High Tunnel Agriculture

Environmental Management System (EMS)

• Inexpensive climate control system for high tunnels

• User monitors and controls the climate from touch screen PLC, laptop, or Smartphone

• Ventilation, irrigation, and heating are monitored and controlled on-site or remotely

• SVF awarded $100,000 USDA Small Business Innovation Research Grant

• Testing at SVF high tunnels in both Minnesota and Wisconsin

• Expected operational date: March 2011

• Potential SBIR Phase II Commercialization Grant in 2013

EMS Layout

Small Wind Energy

Overview • Turbines of 100 kW or less

in size • Generates electricity for

SHARE farms • Creates income from excess

electricity • Solid, long-term investment • Investors receive federal,

state, and utility grants • Offsets investors’ tax

liabilities • Eliminates operational C02

emissions

Incentives • Federal Investment Tax

Credit or Grant (30%) • USDA Rural Energy for

America Program (25%) • Accelerated Depreciation

(30% for 30% tax bracket) • Wisconsin Small

Renewable Energy System Grant (25%)

• Electric Utility Grants (varies)

• Sale of excess electricity (≤ 40 kW)

Small Wind Energy Systems: A Valuable, Widely-Available Resource

Installed cost of

$2-$3/Watt is 1/3 to 1/2 that of solar technologies

Require less wind to operate than utility-scale wind energy applications

Wind Class Designations

•Areas designated class 3 or greater are suitable for most utility-scale wind turbine applications • Whereas class 2 areas are marginal for utility-scale applications but may be suitable for rural applications

• Class 1 areas are generally not suitable, although a few locations (e.g., exposed hilltops not shown on the maps) with adequate wind resource for wind turbine applications may exist

• The degree of certainty with which the wind power class can be specified depends on three factors:

•the abundance and quality of wind data; •the complexity of the terrain •and the geographical variability of the resource.

• A single 30 kW wind turbine displaces the CO2 produced by 5 cars

• A total of 50 turbines of 65 MW each:

– Offset the CO2 emissions released by 10,000 cars

– Power 7,000 homes

– Displace 60,000 tones of CO2 annually

Environmental Impacts

• Web based e-commerce (operational on SVF website)

• Provides up to date information on fresh produce for sale

• Orders processed by credit card, check, or money order

• Buyers communicate order notes to producer

• Joint venture members given priority access to produce

• Designed for wholesale buyers, restaurants, grocer co-ops

• Open to registered users who complete a profile

Online Produce Market

Solar Thermal Heating

• Solar panels collect heated air • Fans circulate heated air below

ground • Warms soil and air temperatures • Extends growing season to allow

for additional crops and harvests • Reduces propane fuel usage and

greenhouse gas emissions

• Qualifies for 30 percent Federal Investment Tax Credit • Reduces active

income tax liability

Solar Thermal HT Components

Heat Sink • 29’x95’x4’ hole • 2” rigid insulation • 25 dump truck

loads of sand

Heat exchanger • 3600’ of 4” drain

tile (perforated-open system, non perforated-closed system)

• Inline FanTek blower fans – thermostatically controlled - upper and low limit

• Distribution boxes (manifolds)

Solar collectors • Black plastic on

high tunnel floor

• Flat plate collectors – for closed system

Site Preparation and Excavation

Lay drain tile, cover with sand, install distribution boxes and fans, finish high tunnel

Solar Thermal Produce

• Three 30’x96’ high tunnels in Readsown, WI

• HT1 - conventional with single layer

• HT2 - solar thermal (ST) with double layer

• HT3 - conventional with double layer

• Used temp data logger to record temps every 30 minutes, 24/7

• Research Nov 2011 to present

• Temp data logger in soil, inside tunnel, outside

• Periodic reading of logger data

• Soil data logger in HT2 failed in May 2011

High Tunnel Temperature Research

Data Logger Conclusions

• Double poly layer raises night time air temps ≈ 7 F

• Solar thermal with double layer raises night time air temps ≈ 20 F

• Solar thermal soil temp reached 55F by March 15th

• Tomato Planting Schedule

• Outside May 23

• Conventional HT April 10 - some heat

• Solar Thermal HT March 15 – some heat

• Final Tomato Harvest Dates

• Outside Sept 23

• Conventional HT Oct 23 – some heat

• Solar Thermal HT Nov 24 – some heat

• Boost fruit and vegetable yields up to 400% compared to field grown produce

• Steady, reliable supply of organic produce • Purchase produce at wholesale distributor rates • Harvest and deliver fruits and vegetables at

optimum ripeness and flavor • Create a year round growing environment • Meet consumer demand on either end of the

production curve when competition is lower and prices are higher

• Produce higher percentage of grade A fruit and vegetables

• Meet the increasing demand for locally grown produce

• Grow healthier, safer produce with less risk of contamination

• Cost effectively expand the scale of organic farming • Shorten shipping distances = lower freight costs • Create new regional produce

SHARE-d Economic Benefits

Creating a Year Round Season

Spinach Harvested on January 15th

Ripe Gold Medal Heirlooms on November 4th

Fall Bearing Blackberries on November 14th

Improves Produce Quality

Tomatoes planted at same time in spring

High Tunnel Grown Outdoor Grown

• Shorter distance to market cuts fuel usage

• Solar power reduces carbon emissions

• Drip irrigation conserves water • Natural compost replenishes the soil

• Organic mulching reduces erosion

• Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers eliminated

• Crops protected from climate and weather extremes

• Disease, pest, and insect control inputs reduced

• Respond to water shortages in other regions of the country

SHARE-d Environmental Benefits

Boosting Produce Yields

• Yields typically 200-300% higher in high tunnels

• Our organic determinate tomato yields in 2011 = 20+ lbs per plant in solar thermal HT

• Established goal of 25-30 lbs/plant in 2012

SVF high tunnels outperformed yields at University of Minnesota Southwest Research and Outreach Center (SWROC)

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

7/15/2011 8/15/2011 9/15/2011 10/15/2011

Ave

rage

mar

keta

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lbs

per

plan

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SVF Weekly Determinate Tomato Harvest (2011)

SVF High Tunnels

Total = 19.5 lbs per plant

Economics

HT0- Single layer no automation

HT1 –Single layer

HT3 – Double layer

HT2- Solar Thermal

High tunnel (30’x96’) , not including installation

$8500 $8000 $8500

Irrigation and controller, trellis, fertigation tank

$1200 $1400 $1400

Plants and seeds, tomatoes, spinach

$400 $400 $400

End walls, side boards, door hardware, screws

$800 $800 $800

Motorized rollup sides w/thermostat

$0 $900 $900

Heater w/thermostat $0 $350 $350

Ventilation & Circulation w/thermostat

$0 $650 $650

Plastic mulch $300 $300 $300

Total Expenses (not including labor) $11200 $12800 $13300 $35000

Income* $20000(est) $28000 $36380 $45811

Pricing *Tomato=

$2.25/# Spinach= $6.00/#

Cash Flow Handouts Support HT2 & HT3

Income

Estimated Return on Investment

Contact Us

Craig Gundacker (612) 961-3871

cegundacker@scenicvalleyfarms.com

Erik Gundacker (563) 650-3654

gun@usinternet.com

www.scenicvalleyfarms.com