Du Brook Dairy Cuts Energy Demand by 50% with Solar Power

At Du Brook Dairy in Casa Grande, Arizona, a 314-kilowatt SunPower solar power system designed and installed by Sun Valley Solar Solutions has reduced the Dairy’s reliance on purchased utility grid power by as much as 50%. It is projected to save over $520,000 in the first 20 years.

“Dairies use massive amounts of electricity from critical technology such as climate.
Control systems, milking machines, and refrigerators,” said John Robison of Sun Valley Solar Solutions. “Du Brook Dairy owners Pat and Nadine Dugan understand that generating their emission-free solar power while significantly controlling operational costs is a win-win for the community and their business. We are confident that this high performance SunPower system will generate maximum value for the dairy for the next 25 years or more.”

“We talked to several solar providers, and Sun Valley Solar Solutions was the most responsive and helpful,” explained Pat Dugan. “They were very knowledgeable and always available to answer our questions. Plus, their experience with the agriculture community gave us confidence we were in the right hands.” 

As part of its services, Sun Valley Solar assisted the dairy in securing a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Energy for America (REAP) grant, which is in place to assist agricultural producers with renewable energy investments and covered 25 percent of the cost of the system.

Sun Valley Solar designed and installed the solar power system on rooftops and custom shade structures at the dairy, which houses over 2000 head of cattle. The shade structures double as cow shading during Arizona’s hot summer months. Both rooftop and shade structures utilize SunPower solar panels, the most reliable and efficient solar panels today, to maximize the power generated on-site over the long term.

“Sun Valley Solar’s installation crew couldn’t have been more professional. Their artistry is top-notch, and the whole thing went up fast with virtually no disruption to our operations,” concluded Dugan.

Du Brook Dairy’s new solar photovoltaic system is avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to burning nearly 211,000 pounds of coal, according to estimates generated by the Environmental Protection Agency’s greenhouse gas equivalencies calculator.