Electricity Produced by the Sun is a New Dawn for Michigan Apple Growers

TROY, Mich. - May 3, 2017 - PRLog -- Applewood Orchards in rural Deerfield, MI was founded in 1963 by the Swindeman family, and produces between 200,000 and 300,000 bushels of fruit annually.  Applewood is a major supplier to commercial grocery store chains such as Meijer, Kroger, Wal-Mart, Save-a-Lot, and Sam's Club.  Although apples are only produced seasonally, processing and storage happens all year.  That is a lot of electricity to run the orchard's cold storage units as well as lighting, ventilation, and processing equipment.

To control these costs, Applewood turned to ecojiva, LLC of Troy, MI for an answer: a solar energy solution.  Applewood installed a 150kW roof mount system to power the cold storage units and other processing systems.  The system is projected to pay for itself in under seven years while producing more than 192,000kW hours annually. Applewood's annual energy expenses before solar was $61,000; and after it is $37,350.  The savings from solar alone is $21,390 per year, and Applewood's solar installation is on track to save them overall 42% of their electricity use.

Applewood took advantage of the USDA's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), and was awarded a $50,000 grant to help pay for the system.

"Applewood came to us looking to contain their operational and energy costs," says ecojiva, LLC founder and CEO Sridhar (SK) Ayer.  "We showed them that solar energy was no maintenance, no fuel, and was free. The incentive is there to self-generate, and Applewood understood that free energy from the sun would help them reach their goals of cost containment."

ecojiva, LLC designs Photovoltaic (PV) solar energy solutions for agriculture, commercial, and industrial enterprises, and is a full-service turn-key enterprise from inception to completion that provides access to power independent of the utility grid.  ecojiva's expertise also encompasses initial startup guidance; system monitoring and alerts; and warranty, repair, and preventative maintenance for customers throughout the Midwest.

www.ecojiva.com