Solar-Powered Pasture Paying Off

Solar-Powered Pasture Paying Off ENERGY Solar 30-5-26 When the local power company estimated it would cost $18,000 to bring power to a remote pasture, Brad Fricke turned to solar. The $18,000 would only have brought power to the edge of his property. He needed electricity another half mile further on. "It was an 85-acre piece of bottom ground that was too sandy for corn. I decided to use it for intensive grazing," says Fricke. "I needed power for the fences and to get water to the calves." Working with Missouri Valley Renewable Energy and a grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Fricke installed a Sun Tracker solar panel. His initial cost for a system to pump 10,000 gal. of water a day to his cattle was $12,000. It was 2/3 what the power company wanted and on site where he wanted it. He still needed a separate 12-volt battery and solar charger for his fences, and the water pumping was inconsistent depending on the available light. Since then, he has upgraded the system with a control panel and battery storage that lets him pull 120-volt power 24 hours a day. He can even pull 20 amps for short periods of time to power tools or recharge tool battery packs on site, if needed. Best of all, the new system will pump water at a consistent rate, and he no longer needs his 12-volt battery pack, solar fence system. "We now have about $24,000 invested, but it will pump water 24 hours a day for irrigation and cattle tanks for up to three days," says Fricke. "If we get a three-day extended cloudy spell, we can hook up a generator and charge the batteries up to get another three days." A 4-in. water pipe is buried the length of the 85 acres. Four-inch risers with taps come off the line to fill the tanks. Water is pulled from a pond in the pasture. Although it is about half a mile from the Missouri River, it shares a common water table with the river. The pump only has to raise water 20 ft. to reach the highest part of the field. "So far we've had no problem keeping up with the cattle," says Fricke. "Now we are establishing another area across a levee. If we get to 150 acres at 7 head capacity per acre, we should be able to run 1,000 calves down there at a time." They have plans for a simple irrigation system of four 500-ft. pvc pipes with sprinklers on them. His 4-in. buried pipe will easily handle them, putting an inch on two acres every 12 hours. Since he hasn't needed the $6,000 system yet, he hasn't spent the money. He says having the more high-powered solar system is well worth it and not just for the high-powered, 54-joule fence charger or the water systems. "There are no monthly electric bills," explains Fricke. "We have a 10-year life expectancy on the batteries and pumps, plus it is more efficient than grid source power. We have no worries over power surges or outages." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Brad Fricke, 2361 Hwy F, Hermann, Mo. 65041 (ph 573 486-2453; triplef@ktis.net) or Henry Rinse, Missouri Valley Renewable Energy, 2378 Berkemeyer Road, Hermann, Mo. 65041 (ph 573 486-5709 or 800 854-7191; henry@movre.com; www.movre. com).

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