Dove & Boar Farm
Hampton, Connecticut
Solar Electric
$29,400 Grant
2007
Dove & Boar Farm is a start-up farm in Hampton, Connecticut, raising sheep and chickens, and growing fruits and vegetables.
Farm owner Tim Huchthausen, already a member of the Northeast Organic Farming Association, has always been environmentally conscious and wanted to reduce his farm’s environmental footprint while saving money.
By taking advantage of a $29,400 REAP grant and additional funding from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, Dove & Boar was able to install a 15.6 kW solar array on the rooftop of the main barn.
The 78 panel array is one of the first to be installed on a working farm in Connecticut and is expected to supply about 85 percent of the farm’s energy needs, making the farm almost completely self-reliant for electrical power. The installation is financed over 10 years.
The solar power array is part of the farm’s five-year plan that includes a heated greenhouse, certified kitchen, and walk-in cooler, which will allow them to grow and sell fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, and prepared specialty foods year round in a sustainable manner.
“Applying for the grant was fairly flawless and easy,” Huchthausen said, “because Solarwrights [now Atlantis Renewables], the supplier of the array, was most helpful in every aspect of the grant process.”