Nestled next to Black Star Farms’ grapevines and providing shade for goats and chickens is a cutting-edge solar array. The solar array provides power, incentives and savings to one of the state’s most popular agritourism destinations.

Cherryland Electric Cooperative has been a true partner in Black Star Farms’ transition to smart energy, from planning to implementation to developing a new net metering rate when they contacted us about installing a solar array in 2015

“The farm, inn and winery are already saving 10 to 12 percent on energy bills,” said Michael Lahti, director of operations and chief financial officer at Black Star Farms. “And that was measured before the solar panels went online in late 2015.” Lahti projects a 15 percent energy savings in the coming year, thanks to all the changes that have been made.

Among the changes in Black Star Farms’ energy portfolio are:

  • Changing from incandescent lights to LED lights;
  • Converting from a boiler system that had less than 60 percent efficiency to one with more than 94 percent efficiency; and
  • Automating the heating/cooling system in the Suttons Bay Tasting Room.

Additional bulb replacement and boiler upgrades are planned in 2016. “We have performed an energy efficiency analysis on every building on our farm to evaluate what we can do to help reduce energy costs,” Lahti said. The solar panel array is the icing on the cake.

The solar farm has a capacity of 53 kilowatts (kW) and will provide 15 to 20 percent of Black Star Farms’ power. (The average home has a capacity of 3 to 5 kW.) Black Star Farms is the only Cherryland member above the magical 20 kW mark, which necessitated the need for a new rate. Now, any business that installs an array larger than 20 kW capacity can take advantage of the real-time, market-based rate, which is individually calculated each month.

“Solar energy has been ‘cash flow positive’ since day one, thanks to some smart moves by Black Star Farms and Cherryland. Grants, rebates, tax credits and capital credits have helped immensely,” Lahti said.

“Black Star’s solar array cost about $214,000 to build,” Lahti said. It has Canadian Solar power modules, and is run with Solar Edge Inverters and Optimizers. Harvest Energy helped put it all together.

Black Star has received more than $15,000 in energy efficiency rebates and used almost $10,000 in capital credits from Cherryland to invest in upgrades. Cherryland also gave Black Star a zero-interest loan to upgrade the boiler.

“Having Cherryland’s help through the process was indispensible,” Lahti said. “On the front end of any new technology, there are going to be large costs for infrastructure and conversion. Without the assistance of rebates and capital credits, these projects are almost impossible to complete.”

Beyond the financial rewards, however, are the social rewards. “People like to see that we are being responsible and doing the best we can to conserve and create a sustainable operation,” Lahti explained. Black Star Farms has always been committed to conservation and sustainability. “It is a deep-rooted philosophy in what we do every day and our guests feel that every time they visit us.”

The farm has been environmentally verified by the state of Michigan in farmsteading and cropping systems since 2013, meaning everyone works to prevent and minimize agricultural pollution risks.

But Black Star Farms — and Cherryland — have gone beyond that to provide smart energy solutions to keep the inn’s 10 rooms, winery, tasting rooms, kitchens and dining rooms, and the farm itself as sustainable and responsible as possible.