Handsome Brook Farms completed nine ground-mounted solar systems totaling 579.7 kilowatts across its pasture-raised egg operations in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. The installations are projected to offset about 668 metric tons of CO2 annually and reduce electricity bills by up to 74% for individual farms. The systems were designed to achieve near 100% offset of each barn's electric usage based on metered load profiles. The projects used a stack of federal incentives including the 30% Investment Tax Credit, accelerated MACRS depreciation, and USDA Rural Energy for America Program grants. According to the developer, this compressed the payback period from 8-10 years to about three years. After payback, the systems produce power at near zero marginal cost for the remainder of their 25-year warranty. The ground-mounted arrays also provide shade for hens and avoid roof loading issues common with barn-mounted solar.
