Sunny means money at California dairy

“Golden sunshine” is a phrase that has more meaning than ever these days at Scott Brothers Dairy in San Jacinto, Calif.

That’s because about 30 percent of the electricity used at the 1,000-cow dairy is produced by photovoltaic solar panels mounted on its commodity barn roof. Founded in 1913, the family operation run by Stan Scott and his sons, Bruce and Brad (pictured here), is one of just a handful of dairies in the state that are generating zero-emission renewable power from the sun.

Installed last November, phase one of the Scotts’ solar setup consists of 312 photovoltaic panels that convert sunlight into electricity throughout the day which is put back into the utility grid operated by their local electric company. Second and perhaps third phases of the system may eventually be added to roofs that span the calf area and the maternity/hospital area.

Although expensive at roughly $400,000 up front, Bruce estimates that electric bill savings, state renewable energy rebates, federal tax credits, and tremendously accelerated depreciation rates make payback period for the current system less than five years.

“On top of that, the public relations benefit for this is fantastic,” he says. “We process our own milk and make several dairy products, and our customers ask us all the time for “image-conscious” products that are environmentally friendly. They get very excited when we tell them our dairy is solar-powered.

“Being proactive is the only way dairying and agriculture are going to keep any kind of positive image with consumers; we can’t hide from sight,” he adds. “Solar is something that can work for many dairies; plus it requires practically no maintenance.”