Michigan dairy farm overcomes solar panel controversy with new installation

Prairie View Farms installed approximately 414 solar panels and anticipates a return on investment in five years.

Installing solar panels on the farm sometimes stirs up controversy when producers think about using productive farmland, but Prairie View Dairy in Michigan is making the most of solar — by not on tillable land.

According to Chase Drobny, solar sales manager at Alamo Valley Ag, the panels on the roofs of the Michigan dairy farm are “solars done right,” because they do not take farm space and are used for their own personal consumption.

The project started in early winter, and the operation hopes to have power in the next few weeks.

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