Renu Energy Solutions boosts South Carolina farm’s sustainability with solar installs

Renu Energy Solutions, a locally-owned and operated solar installer working in the Carolinas, constructed a new commercial solar installation at Wild Hope Farm, a USDA-certified organic vegetable and flower farm focused on regenerative agriculture-based in Chester, South Carolina.

The Renu Energy Solutions team installed two separate solar arrays on the greenhouse/shed and farmhouse at Wild Hope Farm. The greenhouse array is 14.625 kW, composed of 45 REC panels while the farmhouse array is 5.525 kW, composed of 17 REC panels. In total, the 20.15 kW installed by Renu across the two systems at Wild Hope Farm will provide an estimated 26,000 kWh of energy annually.

Along with Renu’s installations, an additional 15.34 kW was installed across the greenhouse and farmhouse roofs by Alder Energy in 2017. This brings the total size of these arrays to 35.49 kW. In combination, the PV systems installed by Renu and Alder will offset more than 90% of the total energy consumed by the Wild Hope Farm greenhouse/shed and farmhouse buildings.

“Renu and Wild Hope Farm share a common vision to care for our local community through sustainability and environmental stewardship,” said Matthew Culley, Senior Consultant at Renu Energy Solutions. “We are honored to be the installation partner for these solar arrays, and proud to partner with Wild Hope Farm in their goal to achieve Zero Net Energy on the farm.”

Wild Hope Farm’s sustainability focus reaches beyond its growing fields and solar installations, extending to the back acres and wooded areas of the property where the team is transforming invasive grass pastures into native prairies. Through this restoration project, Wild Hope Farm is creating a habitat for imperiled bird, rabbit and pollinator species.

“With intentional planning of our land and infrastructure, the Wild Hope Farm team aims to use zero net energy in our farm operations area within the next few years,” said Katherine Belk, Operations Manager at Wild Hope Farm. “From our conservation growing practices to our 35.49 kW solar PV array, to our passive solar greenhouses, we are always thinking about new ideas for conserving and producing energy on the farm.”

News item from Renu Energy Solutions

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Original Source: https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2022/06/renu-energy-solutions-boosts-south-carolina-farms-sustainability-with-solar-installs/