CED Co-op partners with businesses of all shapes and sizes to install solar systems that generate clean, green energy for Ontario, while delivering financial returns for our members. When we saw the buildings at Schiedel View Farms we knew the location would be absolutely perfect for solar!
Schiedel View Farms has been in business since 2001 and now has 16 employees involved in their turkey breeding operations. As owner Mike Schiedel puts it, “We’re feeding the world.” Part of Hendrix Genetics/Hybrid Turkeys, Schiedel View Farms raises turkeys from poults and produces eggs for companies globally. They operate seven large barns, three of which are excellent sites for solar.
All three of the barns are south-facing. This is ideal here in the Northern Hemisphere because it means they get plenty of sunlight throughout the day. What makes them even better is that the pitch of the roof is 15°. This means panels can be mounted flush to the roof instead of requiring extra racking to tilt them up. Less racking means lower costs, and a better return for the business and our co-op members.
Mike Schiedel was on board from the beginning. “I like green energy,” he explains, “The sun shines and it gives us energy. It’s without pollution, without carbon, and without nuclear sites. Once it’s paid for, it’s free.” Like many of our partners, the pitch to Mike was that it was possible to earn returns from a solar system, and having community participation through partial co-op ownership in the project would help assure a contract.
Of course every project has unique challenges. For Schiedel View Farms it was bio-security – keeping the site clean and the turkeys safe. Any visitors must wear proper protective clothing and have their vehicle washed to ensure no outside contaminants reach the birds. Mike is happy with the way the team approached the situation, “We had a good conversation at the beginning, and it all worked out well. CED Co-op and Vigor Clean Tech were, and are, great to deal with.”
Interested in learning more about this project? Visit the Schiedel View Farms Project Page. There you can view photos of the barns, and see live production data for the energy this system is producing.
Uses of non-conventional energy sources can be more profitable with compare to utilities expenditures, After long time it can be also more advantageous for environment.