Apple Orchards Applications

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“ Solar Every Day Keeps the Bills Away ”

Many apple orchards not only grow their produce, they also store and pack their yields. To do so successfully, they must remain vigilant about

✔ humidity levels in their storage facilities.
✔ temperatures that accommodate freshly picked apples.
✔ oxygen levels appropriate for post-harvest apple storage.
✔ efficient use of equipment at their packing and storage facilities.

These kinds of controlled atmosphere (CA) storage practices necessarily require high electric use, and can lead to prohibitive annual operating costs for orchards of all sizes.

At Ecojiva, we can customize a solution for your facility that will:

✔ reduce your electric bill
✔ stabilize your electric rate
✔ shrink your carbon footprint
✔ combat the rising cost of electricity

✔ help you become a more competitive agricultural producer

Customer Testimonials

Jim’s 150kW Roof-Mount System

Jim is one of the three owners of a large apple orchard, packing facility, and supplier in southeast Michigan. A 150kW solar energy system replaces approximately 42% of the business’ annual electric usage, and saves the orchard over $25,000 a year. So, the decision to go solar was an easy one for Jim and Scott.

In addition, for eligible apple farms, we may also be able to integrate our cutting-edge ecoDMT™ demand management technology.

This technology intelligently optimizes your solar generation, increases your solar energy savings by up to an additional 50%, and maximizes energy efficiency at your site.

Jim's 150kW

Jim's 150kW Roof-Mount System

Jim is one of the three owners of a large apple orchard, packing facility, and supplier in southeast Michigan. The orchard manages over 375 acres of land, and harvests between 200,000 and 300,000 bushels of apples every year. They supply apples to several large grocery store chains throughout the country, all of whom rely on the orchard’s high, year-round electric usage to keep the apples cool and in a low-oxygen environment.

The orchard was already using several green-minded strategies to help advance their business operations – including pheromone pest control, hail cannons to disrupt hailstone damage, and easements on river flat grounds – so the decision to go solar was an easy one for Jim and his team. Because ground space is limited at the orchard, a roof-mounted ballasted system was the best configuration for their site. The 150kW solar energy system replaces approximately 42% of the business’ annual electric usage, and saves the orchard over $25,000 a year. To find out how you might be able to integrate solar at your site, contact us for a free, no-obligation site and usage assessment.