Jesse Mitham is a second-generation farmer.
After years of paying high energy bills, he and his father started a different kind of farm: a solar one.
“In terms of electricity, the cost keeps going up, and it’s always going to go up,” he said in an interview Friday. “I don’t think there is ever going to be a point where it stays steady … we’ve always been interested in green energy. I mean, 25 years ago we were talking about putting up a windmill.”
Rothiemay Farms is a dairy and egg farm with more than 100 heads of cattle and 3,000 chickens.
The solar farm is a ground-mount 100 kW system that offsets all the electricity for the farm. The entire product is engineered and manufactured in the Saint John region.
“We were able to go this route with a decent price and it’s kind of like diversifying for us… we got diversified to put money elsewhere,” he said.
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The grid is built by Smart Energy Company based in Quispamsis. It has completed at least 17 farms, all of which transitioned to solar.
“Farmers are really struggling with the rapidly increasing, unpredictably increasing electricity prices, so generating their own electricity on the farm from the sun is a top priority for them that we can help them with,” said Smart Energy Company chief development officer and co-owner, Jeff McAloon.
He said farms are always looking to reduce the input costs, and electricity is one way to do that with more green technology becoming available.
“Farmers are the original stewards of the land and so for us to be able to help them with modern technology to further enhance their emission control is another great service we provide,” McAloon said.
The company is expanding to other parts of Canada, too, as more farms look to take advantage of green technology opportunities. Organizations like Dairy Farmers of Canada are aiming to be net zero by 2050.
As for Mitham, he said he hopes it makes the farm more sustainable for future amid soaring energy costs and labour shortages. He’s also excited about the environmental impact.
“I don’t know really if it is offsetting the cost. I’m more excited about as the fact I’m doing something for the environment,” he said.
“I have a seven-year-old who I’m thinking about his future as well.”
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