Addressing Rising Energy Costs in Poultry Production

Energy costs are one of the biggest challenges facing poultry producers today. To evaluate the economic feasibility of powering poultry houses with solar energy, the University of Delaware-in conjunction with numerous project partners-installed a 42-kW photovoltaic (PV) system on an Allen Family Foods poultry farm near Laurel, Delaware. The system is ground-mounted and is divided into a 12-kW net metering system and a 30-kW demand management system. The system remains connected to the farm diesel generator and to Delmarva Power and Light (DP&L), the commercial supplier of electricity to this farm.

The project has two goals, namely: to determine the economics of installing, operating, and maintaining solar cells as a source of power for poultry houses and (2) to define and guide legislation that may be necessary to make this technology practical and viable.

For more information about this project, contact Mark Rieger, University of Delaware, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at mrieger@udel.edu. 

• Project Partners
• Poultry PV Project Timeline and Life Cycle
• UD Poultry System Details
• A Variety of Existing Solar Projects in Delaware
• Installation Cost and Economic Incentives
• Outlook
• An Investment and Cost Guide for Delaware Poultry Growers