Nuance Energy Enables Four California Farmers to Save Over $725,000 Annually by Creating a “Solar Alliance” Energy Cooperative
Innovative Approaches to Energy Co-ops Are Expected to Accelerate Solar Adoption throughout the U.S. in Agricultural and Commercial Applications
San Ramon, CA – September 25, 2017 – Nuance Energy, manufacturer of the patent-pending Osprey PowerPlatform® and developer of distributed generation solar projects through its Central Valley AgWell Solar® division, today announced that four family farming operations in the Central Valley region of California have formed a “Solar Alliance” energy cooperative to install 3.54MW of fixed-tilt and single-axis tracker ground mount solar systems across 23 sites. When all sites are operational, the co-op’s total annual savings will exceed $725,000 in utility bills alone. Solar Alliance members will also be able to qualify for additional savings under California’s Net Energy Metering Aggregation (NEMA) program.
Among the challenges in California’s Central Valley is the local electric utility’s inability to upgrade the infrastructure needed for large, grid-tied solar arrays in a timely manner. To work around this limitation, Nuance Energy divided the Solar Alliance projects into multiple, smaller sites throughout Madera and Fresno counties in a cooperative arrangement. All adjacent parcels are eligible for net metering at retail rates, as well as certain tax exemptions under the Board of Equalization and California’s NEMA program.
Current members of the Solar Alliance include:
- Toor Farming, Inc. in Visalia with eight sites in Madera, Pixley, Tipton, Tulare and Visalia, including a test site currently owned and operated by Tabuchi Electric Company of America, generating a total of 1.72MW
- Samran and Sons Farming Company, Inc. in Turlock with eight sites in Madera, Chowchilla and Turlock generating a total of 826kW
- SunRise Farms Group in Visalia with five sites in Earlimart, Pixley, Polar and Visalia generating a total of 849kW
- BR Samran Farms in Madera with two sites generating a total of 147kW
[Editor’s Note: Additional information on Toor Farming and the Tabuchi Electric test site is available here: Nuance Energy Enables Toor Farming to Save Over $55,000 Annually Using the Osprey PowerPlatform® to Provide Solar Power for its Wells.]
“With the reduction in the electric utility bill, combined with the tax savings and the substantially lower cost of installing ground mount solar energy using the Osprey PowerPlatform, Toors’ investment in solar power can pay for itself in under five years,” said Brian C. Boguess, Nuance Energy co-founder and CEO. “Tens of thousands of family-owned farms throughout California have the potential to save millions of dollars annually on their electric bills by installing solar power and energy storage, especially with changes in time-of-use rates being proposed by several utility districts. Instead of going to the utilities, the money saved could be contributing to local economies through greater crop yields, expanded operations and increased profits.”
About Nuance Energy
Nuance Energy is making solar energy substantially more affordable. The company’s patent-pending Osprey PowerPlatform® solar ground mount racking system employs a unique earth anchor and modular, scalable design to enable contractors, integrators and EPCs to achieve peak profitability through the industry’s lowest installation costs and fastest time-to-revenue for ground mounted systems. Nuance Energy’s mission is to lead solar innovation while focused on the solar industry’s downstream value chain saving partners and customers time and money. Headquartered in San Ramon, CA, Nuance Energy (www.nuanceenergy.com) and its subsidiary AgWell Solar (www.agwellsolar.com) provide design, engineering, installation and financing for select projects.
To learn more about our complete range of turnkey solar solutions for you project, schedule a free consultation with the Nuance Energy team today.
