EasternIowaFarmer_Fall2023

THE ENERGY ISSUE
excess power for evenings or other times
the sun isn’t shining as bright.
When they installed the panels in 2016,
the federal government gave a 30% tax
credit and the state gave a 15% tax credit.
“Now granted those are tax credits, and
you have to have an income to use them.
In farming sometimes you don’t,” Joyce
said. “But, when you do the math longterm,
it works.”
After an initial usage study, accounting
for depreciation, and forecasting using the
tax credits right away, the Noonan’s were
told to expect to break even around year
five.
“We thought that was very impressive,”
Joyce said, and it’s turned out to be true.
Others in their rural neighborhood
agree. They list the names of six or seven
neighbors within two miles of their home
in any direction who have solar panels.
The Noonans have two electric meters
– one for their personal consumption,
the house, and one for their commercial
consumption, the shed.
“The battery will help too,” Rich
said. If for some reason they didn’t have
enough solar power or the electricity was
out, “at least we can run the pump for
water for the cattle. It’s a good backup
system for water and to reduce our electric
bill down to very little.”
Currently, the solar panels generate
almost all of the electricity that the shed
uses, Rich said.
“Now, when we have the grain bins
running, it can’t keep up with that, but it
supplements it,” he said.
“There’re very efficient because they
don’t take any energy to run. They are
guaranteed for 25 years and life of more
than 40,” Rich said. He also likes that
there are no moving parts, and they
haven’t had to have much maintenance on
them at all.
The solar panels work year-round, Rich
explained on a sunny July morning.
“A day like today is perfect. At 7 in the
morning, just when it’s getting light out,
you’ll hear the meter start up,” he said.
During the longer hours of daylight in
the summer, they provide more energy,
“The long-term benefits
are convincing.”
— JOYCE NOONAN
Joyce noted.
“In the winter, you still get energy, and
you still get quite a bit. Snow will gather,
but it doesn’t stay on the panels unless it’s
a mega-snow. It melts off really fast.”
While the panels are a considerable
up-front investment, the Noonans said the
they’d recommend them to other farmers.
“It’s up front money but you have to
think long-term. We made sacrifices to
do it, but we are glad we did,” Joyce
said. “The long-term benefits are convincing.”
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24340 150th St. Maquoketa, IA 52060
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eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 59