Suniva Inc. will soon power two Bushnell family farms in California’s central valley.
Suniva’s OPTimus panels are being installed by Nuance Energy Group Inc. and its solar contracting division, AgWell Solar to bring 824 kW of solar energy to Bushnell Farms and Three and One Farms, both operated by the Bushnell family, an almond grower in Buttonwillow, California. The Bushnell family is one of many local area growers that has recently discovered how solar power will help them reap huge savings by harvesting energy from the sun, and that it can be done affordably, too. This decision to go solar comes at an ideal time for many California farmers, who have formally relied on PG&E’s AG-ICE rate plan set to expire on December 31, 2015.
“With the 10-year AG-ICE rate plan coming to an end, we realized we would need an alternative plan to avoid a significant rate increase imposed by PG&E,” said Julia Bushnell, owner of Bushnell Farms. “Our decision to go solar was an easy one – after doing the math, we determined that our solar installations would reduce our utility costs by seventy-one percent. We couldn’t pass it up.”
“Current PG&E AG-ICE customers are in for a world of hurt come Jan 1, 2016,” said Brian C. Boguess, president of Nuance Energy. “That’s because PG&E will place them on an AG5 rate schedule, which will almost double what they are currently paying. The rate change would cost the two Bushnell family Ag operations more than $136,000 in 2016. However, by going solar and converting to an AG4 rate plan, AgWell Solar will save the Bushnell family an estimated $208,000 next year.”
“It’s great to see California’s agriculture enterprises take advantage of solar energy,” said Matt Card, vice president of global sales and marketing of Suniva. “Harvesting solar energy is a very natural complement to agri-business, not only in California, but nation-wide, and our high-powered OPTimus modules, combined with Nuance Energy’s affordable, modular and portable Osprey PowerPlatform solar racking structures, are the perfect fit for someone seeking a high-quality, cost-effective solar solution.”
