Solar Energy 
  
While producing plants that enhance people’s aesthetics and environment, it seems only natural to steer our business into the future by using green energy. The more self sufficient we become by using and producing green energy, the better off our environment will be. Our stability as a business will be increased since it will not be tied solely to market energy supplies and expenses.

We use the following three practices in our conservation efforts:

1.  Create our own green electricity through solar and wind
2.  Produce our own heat through solar hot water collectors and biofuel boilers
3.  Conserve electricity and heat to reduce our daily usage.

Create our own green electricity through solar and wind

Our first system uses Photovoltaic solar panels mounted on a tracking rack to produce 2.4 kw of DC electricity. It is then converted in an inverter to AC and fed into the power grid. The tracking rack on which the panels are mounted will automatically position the panel, which will actively follow the sun across the sky. This will maximize the amount of electricity that can be produced since the panels will always be positioned 90 degrees to the sun. In the future, our next step will be capturing wind energy by using a wind turbine to produce electricity.

Produce our own heat through solar hot water collectors and biofuel boilers

Our first step in producing our own heat was to use solar hot water collectors. A five-panel solar evacuated tube collector captures the sun’s energy and then heats up the solution in closed loop piping. The solution is heated to 100 to 130°F and then pumped into a storage system to trap it until it can be reused during the night.

The only greenhouse area that is heated in the winter has radiant floor heating, which is efficient and works in conjunction with the solar system. In the future, we plan to add a biofuel boiler system that will help when we need a greater volume of heat in the greenhouses.

Conserve electricity and heat to reduce our daily usage

We started conserving electricity by using fluorescent lighting. Roll-up sides are used on the greenhouses to reduce the amount of ventilation used by fans. In the production/holding area that is heated all winter, insulation was added to the north walls to reduce heat loss.

In the future, several cooling fans that run on traditional energy will be converted to DC and have their own solar panel. Also, a night curtain will soon be installed in the production area to hold more heat in the evening. Water conservation also plays a part as we use electricity to pump our water; in irrigation areas, low-flow drip systems will be installed to reduce the number of gallons needed to water the plants, thus reducing the amount of electricity used.