In a WATT Poultry Chat video interview, Ryan Miller, President and CEO of Farmers Hen House, and Deven King, editor-in-chief of Egg Industry Insight, discussed the company’s egg grading facilities, distribution facilities, coolers and offices, which are 100% 9- An acre solar field close to grading and distribution facilities.
The Rural Power Cooperative (REC) approached Farmers Hen House on this opportunity. When completed in 2016, it was the largest solar farm in Iowa. FHH uses electricity first, and the excess energy is put on the grid for others to use. Even in winter, when there is little sunlight, there is still enough energy to run FHH and still release additional energy to the grid. REC manages solar panels.
To be more sustainable, sheep graze on 9 acres of land to manage the grass under the panel.
KING: Ryan, as far as I know, you have a 9-acre solar farm. Can you talk about its power and how it affects your ability to work with local farmers?
Miller: Yes, so we have a 9-acre solar field near our property. How did this happen in 2012? Our local REC contacted us about the space and use of the solar field. I don't know all the technical content, but they explained to me that it is best to place it close to heavy users, which is the most effective way, and then the rest of the electricity will enter the grid. It took some time to complete all of this.
Completed in the first half of 2014 (four and a half acres). This is cool because our REC is the smallest in the state, but the solar farm at the time was the largest in Iowa. Soon, there were other bigger ones, but they built that part in 2014 and then came back in 2016, filling the remaining part to nine acres. This is considerable power. It now owns all 9 acres of land and has approximately 2 megawatts of electricity.
It enters our building here, our main processing and cooling storage building, and the second building next to us, which we own together with a local dairy company. They have more cooling there and office space. It can completely power two buildings and provide additional power to the grid. We use it for all of our things. Some of the main components that consume a lot of power are that our cooling device is a classifier, and all the motors that match it. Unlike our lights, we have switched to mainly LED lights, so this is good.
All our forklifts and jacks are electric and it is a food factory. What I hope to see in the future is an electric truck for our eight local pickup trucks. I think this technology is not yet fully mature and it is being realized. In the future, I hope to see more ways to use this kind of electricity. You know, they did a great job in the winter design (solar field) and the slopes and things of the panels, so the snow won't stick to it too much. See how it works, it's an interesting process.
KING: Ryan, I know you work with many local farmers. Can you talk about any solar energy use they use?
Miller: Yes, we have several farms using it. Most of our farms are Amish and Mennonites. Amish Farm is not connected to the grid, so we have to use solar energy to meet part of their needs. We have a newer building, the whole operation uses solar energy, tunnel ventilation, cooling, you know, running nests and stuff, it's fun. Some of them are used, many of which are used for lighting, running some smaller things, and even some of our people who can connect to the grid are using solar energy, because you know, this is part of their work.
One of the cool things about solar panels, especially chickens, you know, they can be installed. But chickens don't sit on it, but we have them because we are free-range and organic, so it can also be used as a shade structure for birds.
This script has been edited for length and clarity.
Deven King is the former editor-in-chief of Egg Industry.