Arizona school conducts research at solar-powered farm

Original source:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15620451&BRD=1817&PAG=461&dept_id=222087&rfi=6

Summary:

• Not only do the sun's rays serve the usual agricultural purpose of fueling the growth of plants at Wolfberry, but they also provide the electrical power necessary for various aspects of the farm operation.
• From the irrigation-well pump, to the lights and computer in the caretaker's house, to the small fan that cools the greenhouse, the power for Wolfberry Farm comes from a series of photovoltaic solar panels.
• According to Tim Crews, environmental studies faculty and program coordinator for Wolfberry Farm, the sun has been a reliable source of power for the farm for several years.
• "Last year, we had lots and lots of overcast weather," Crews said, "but the generator backup has not been used.
• The ventilator fan was whirring in the greenhouse, the lights were on in the caretaker's house and the small food dryers were functional.
• In the hot months of the summer, for instance, the refrigerator - the highest energy user tends to run more often and use more power.
• Fall caretaker Gretchen Hoffman noted that the straw-bale house, which a Prescott College student designed, stays relatively cool in the summers, despite a lack of air conditioning.
• Currently, the farm annually grows as many as 30 varieties of plants - the products of which the students sell at the Prescott farmers' market.
• "It is an education research demonstration project," he said.
• Electricity is just one of the tried and true agricultural techniques of the past century that the students at Wolfberry Farm are questioning.
• Because the farm does not require that level of electricity year-around, Crews said the group has been looking for other uses for the power and began working on developing a prototype for a solar-powered tractor, which Crews said ultimately would be used in Africa.

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