At Shelmar Acres, manure is a faint but familiar smell on this livestock farm that’s nestled amid the rolling hills and fertile farmland of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Hogs, hundreds of them, grunt and shift on slatted floors, each of which will grow to be 280 pounds. Holstein steers—about 300 or so—flick their tails at buzzing pests.
Together with their four children, Mitchell and Heather Shellenberger run a farm that’s humming with purpose. They also run a farm that harnesses the power of renewable energy from solar panels, which now generate 100% of their family farm’s electricity.
A rural solar energy project
Three years ago, Mitchell, a third-generation farmer, faced big increases in electricity prices when his farm’s low-rate contract expired at the same time prices were spiking.
“Our farm operation runs on a very tight margin,” he said. “When electric prices started to rise, we were unsure how we would manage these additional costs.”
Mitchell found himself searching for ways to defray the farm’s energy costs. This search led him to solar.
“[The loan rate for the solar equipment] was basically equal to the [electric] payment we were paying before,” said Mitchell, “It made a lot of sense to lock in that expense.”
One of the hog barns had an abundance of south-oriented roof space, making it ideal for solar panels. The tightly-fit panels would also help extend the life of the roof underneath and, because the panels used existing roof space, the Shellenberger’s land remained free for growing crops and raising livestock. By taking advantage of a federal tax credit that covered up to 30% of the upfront cost, Mitchell and Heather made their first investment in solar.
Soon after installation, Mitchell and Heather saw their electric bills drop from several thousand dollars a month to a few hundred.
Savings in hand, the Shellenbergers opted to install solar panels on the remaining two hog barns, which now provide electricity for the entire farm plus the Shellenbergers’ house. Sometimes they even send some electricity back to the grid for which they get paid for their extra power.
“For us it was a business decision,” said Mitchell. “This was a way that we could basically lock in our energy costs and generate our own electricity in the process.”
By his calculations, Mitchell believes the electric savings from their solar array will pay off their solar system in about 10 years. He plans to reinvest the significant financial savings—which amount to thousands of dollars a month—back into the farm.
What are the impacts of solar energy projects on farms?
The Shellenbergers are saving more than money. Their solar panels also eliminate tons of carbon emissions annually; they play an important role in combatting harmful air pollution, too. Pollution from burning fossil fuels was once responsible for more than 1 in 10 deaths in the U.S. each year. But as more Americans switch to clean energy, air becomes safer to breathe.
“There’s never been a better time for farms to use the power of the sun to electrify their businesses,” said Hanna Felber, organizer for PennEnvironment. “Plentiful sunshine and generous solar incentives are here. Now more farms in Pennsylvania just need to take advantage of them. But to get the most bang for your buck, Pennsylvanians considering solar may want to jump in before Congress repeals helpful tax rebates for clean energy.”
Clean energy tax credits have made a difference
The Shellenbergers aren’t the only Americans to go solar in recent years. In 2023, 3.4 million Americans earned federal tax credits for investing in solar or other clean energy improvements, saving more than $8 billion. Churches, schools, non-profits and other businesses have made use of clean energy incentives, too.
Under the budget bill in Congress, many of these credits could expire as soon as the end of this year. That’s short-sighted at best, and ignores the cost to the quality of our air, the stability of our climate and the desire of millions of Americans to choose clean energy to power their lives.
Clean energy tax credits like the ones the Shellenbergers used are working, and eliminating them makes no sense. Before you go, tell your U.S. senators to spare clean energy tax credits from the chopping block.
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Authors
Started on staff: 2016
B.A., summa cum laude, Tufts University
Flora oversees much of PennEnvironment’s climate and grassroots organizing work, directing staff and mobilizing volunteers around the state to fight climate change and promote good clean energy policy in Pennsylvania. Before taking on this role, Flora was a member of Green Corps where she led campaigns to register youth to vote in Arizona and oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline in Iowa. She’s also directed several door to door canvass offices around the state on behalf of PennEnvironment and Work For Progress. Flora lives in Philadelphia where she enjoys long walks around the city, taking in all of the art, food, and parks it has to offer.
Mia Handler is a policy associate with Frontier Group, working in our Boston office. Mia has a B.A. in Sociology from Wake Forest University. Outside of work, you can find Mia outdoors (hopefully with her hands in the dirt) or curled up with a book.
