| April 10, 2008 Maine dairy goes solar
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(NECN: Portland, Maine) - A Maine dairy that supplies milk to states throughout New England is going solar. Oakhurst Dairy in Portland, Maine announced that it is installing one of the largest commercial solar energy systems in the region.
Every day, Oakhurst Dairy processes about 100,000 gallons of milk. Keeping that plant clean is a priority and requires thousands of gallons of hot water. Rather than heat that water with oil, the dairy is making a major investment in solar power.
Over the next few weeks, about 90 of its solar panels will be placed on the roof of the plant. Oakhurst believes the solar panels will save the dairy about 7,500 gallons of oil each year. Plus, it reduces the impact on the environment.
Several years ago, Oakhurst decided to place a premium on making white milk in a green environment. Its truck fleet runs on biodiesel and the vehicles have idle regulators to reduce emissions.
It's also an economic decision. Oakhurst believes its $200,000 investment in solar power will have a quick payback of around five years. But, the real challenge is reducing emissions long before the milk reaches the dairy.
About 75% of the greenhouse gases in a four gallon case of milk come from the farm. Oakhurst is working with its 85 Maine farms to find ways to capture methane from cows with gas digesters -- and it's hoping farmers will introduce solar power as well. In the short term, none of these changes will make milk any cheaper,
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