What do pigs and solar panels have in common? Both are helping Nebraska farmer Jason Kvols cut costs and streamline his business.
According to Farm Progress, Kvols first began raising pigs a decade ago to get free fertilizer.
"I thought it would be a great opportunity to diversify my row-crop operation because of the manure that I could utilize for the crops," he told the outlet.
But Kvols' efficiency kick didn't stop there. He also outfitted his pig barns with 300 solar panels. Five years later, he estimates the decision slashed his electric bill in half. That means his overall costs of production are down, Farm Progress explained.
Kvols now runs a pipeline with 10,000 hogs, and he is sold on solar. If farmers can afford to make the switch, he calls it "a really good investment in the long term."
He got a little help from federal tax breaks to have his panels installed. Since many of those incentives are disappearing, he suggested acting sooner rather than later, per Farm Progress.
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Another boost toward Kvols' goal was working with a seasoned installer. Together, they were able to figure out the best placement and angles for the panels to excel on his barn roofs.
Coupled with inverters on the side of each building, the panels now generate cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable electricity than if Kvols still relied on a fuel source that overheats the planet.
Remarkably, he has not had to service them at all since installation.
"In five years now, I've literally done nothing to the system," he told Farm Progress. "Day in and day out, it just produces what it produces."
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Upfront costs 💰 If the panels grab more power than Kvols needs, he can sell it to the local power plant. If he needs extra, he can buy it back.
There's only one downside: Kvols has to sell his excess power to the grid at a lower price than he can buy it back at, per Nebraska policy. If this give-and-take were evened out — also known as net metering — then his solar savings would be even larger than they already are.
Instead, Kvols tries to harvest just the right amount of solar energy to optimize his balance sheet, which lands somewhere around 60% production, Farm Progress reported.
Agricultural producers are facing harder and harder economic and environmental challenges. Yet innovative solutions, such as Kvols' solar-powered pig farming, are showing what's possible when farmers produce their own energy alongside crops and livestock.
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