Powered by a 902kW solar array, Strain Ranches dries and stores more than 50,000 tons of medium Calrose rice during its annual two-month harvest – contributing to the state’s $1.8 billion rice industry.
California, the nation’s second largest rice producing state, experiences extreme climate conditions that make rice production an expensive operation. Increased cost of peak energy consumption during the summer months make cost-saving solar power a necessity. Wanting only an American-made system with a solid warranty, Strain Ranches’ owner turned down several companies over the years until finding North State Solar Energy.
Designed and installed by North State Solar Energy, the 902kW array features 3,760 microinverters matched with SolarWorld modules, and monitoring allows individual access to each module – essential for a project of this magnitude. Due to the large size of the array, the system owners recognized the importance of engaging with module-level monitoring, which enables granular maintenance without disrupting the system as a whole. “With the monitoring software, our team at North State Solar Energy can accurately report daily, weekly, or annual energy generation of the entire system, and address any system issues easily,” said Mike Houar, president of North State Solar Energy.
By lowering production costs on the ranch through solar, customers throughout California might notice a decrease in their rice prices. “Solar made sense for our rice drying and storage business because we wanted to reduce the inflation of our power bills and be able to charge a lower fixed rate to our customers,” said Dane Nissen, warehouse manager of Strain Ranches and fourth generation California rice farmer. The system produces 134% of original estimated energy production, and in turn, Strain Ranches will save $179,000 annually.