CLEAN CONVERSION LOAN
Price Farms Solar Array
What CCEF
Financed
Solar Array
About the Project
Project investment: $150,000
Location: Center, CO
Environmental highlights:
- Solar energy
Key terms:
- Solar Array: A collection of solar panels that are wired together in a circuit to produce electricity.
“Working with CCEF was very smooth and easy. We were really pleased with the process.”
– Andrew Price, Owner of Price Farms LLC
The Story
Andrew Price, a third-generation farmer of Price Farms, continues his family’s legacy that was started in 1955 by his grandfather, James Truman Price. With the mission to become more energy efficient, Price now strives to continue to produce the best quality crops with the use of solar arrays to run the farm’s systems and lower the cost of electricity.
As a small family business, Price grew up on the farm with his two older brothers and younger sister, and continues to live there with his two sons and wife. Price proudly shared that his sons, 9 and 6 years old, enjoy helping him with small tasks on the farm during their breaks from school. Price prides himself on having his family nearby, as his co-owners are his uncle and father who still work and live near the farm.
“My favorite part of the job is getting to work out in the sun and that it’s something different every day,” Price said. “It’s changing all the time.”
Price Farms, sitting on 2,100 acres of farmable land, remains a small business with around 33 local employees during peak harvesting season. They specialize in growing key crops like potatoes, barley, and seed, selling to companies including, Coors, Woody Creek Distillery, and Spud Seller.
After debating for about two years and consulting with 8760 Solar, Price decided to partner with CCEF to install solar this past year to start transitioning to renewable sources of energy and lower the cost of running the farm’s fans and systems. Price shares that it is beneficial to run these systems constantly throughout the summer, but it can be extremely expensive, reaching around $30,000 a month. Since installing the first two solar arrays on Price Farms, Price states that solar is helping them to save the cost of what they would be spending on electricity to run the farm.
“Working with CCEF was very smooth and easy,” Price said. “We were really pleased with the process.”
So far, Price Farms has installed two solar systems and will soon be installing two more. Price shared that the solar systems have especially helped with the energy used in the farm’s potato storages. With the cost of electricity lowered month to month with the use of solar, the equipment purchased with CCEF funds will provide a long-term supply of energy to the farm.
