Source: Iona Sentinel
Michigan’s largest egg producer has completed construction of a new solar array at one of its facilities.
Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch hosted a ribbon-cutting event Tuesday, Oct. 26, for its new solar array at its Green Meadow Organics facility in Saranac.
The 8-acre, 1.8-megawatt solar array produces enough electricity to meet about a quarter of the power demand at the Green Meadow Organics facility, which is located on Grand River Avenue. Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch partnered with CMS Energy and EPC Partners on the project, which was announced in February.
Cody Herbruck, senior manager of operations at Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, said the company started looking into solar energy a few years ago. He said Herbruck’s is committed to sustainability efforts and protecting the environment.
“Herbruck’s has grown tremendously throughout our decades in the poultry industry, and a key to that growth is ensuring we are doing our part to take care of the environment around us,” Herbruck said. “Sustainability is central to everything we do at Herbruck’s and the solar array at Green Meadow Organics is just one practice we use to protect our four key business pillars: people, planet, products and prosperity.”
The organics facility uses six sheep to maintain the vegetation around the solar array. The sheep are from a local shepherd and will return in the spring after going away for the winter, Herbruck said.
“They were definitely a big hit (with the local community),” Herbruck said.
Herbruck said the solar array should be in full use within the next two weeks. He said the panels should last roughly 30 years.
DV Rao, senior vice president of strategy at CMS Energy, called the project a “win, win, win” — for the planet, customers and Michigan’s clean energy transformation.
“CMS Energy is proud to have worked alongside the incredible Herbruck’s team to bring this 1.8-megawatt solar array to life,” Rao said. “This is yet another project that will help protect our planet, support our customer’s success, and strengthen our state as Michigan looks to lead the clean energy transformation.”
Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch launched its Green Meadow Organics facility in 2008 to produce organic, cage-free eggs and all-natural fertilizers, according to the company.
