Day 91

 One of the projects we had been discussing and researching from the onset of ownership was solar panels to help offset the rising cost of electricity. Besides having a tax rebate available, we had a barn that had literally no shade and access to a ton of sun every day. We figured any information is good information, so we started seeing what we could learn about seeing if it was feasible and sensical to make this idea a reality.

Not exactly knowing where to start, I could only think of the jingles from commercials I had heard on the radio. Figuring there had to be more reliable information available, I used the old Google machine to search for local contractors who could possibly be of assistance. After sending out a few online inquiries, I connected with a local contractor specializing in solar installation. When he came to visit the farm, he was wearing a Milwaukee Bucks hat upon his visit, so I knew he could be trusted. He was able to provide a lot of great information and I did my best to soak it up like future panels would soak up the rays. We discussed the pros and cons of putting panels on the house versus throwing them on the barn. From the get go, our desire was to utilize the shadeless barn. He did mention that potentially placing panels on the barn combined with the current placement of our electrical meter made the job much tougher than we might have thought. Either we would need to pony up a ton of money and get the meter approved to be moved or factor in the cost of trenching new electrical connections from the meter to the barn. Both options sounded rather expensive. He also mentioned that he did not have the equipment or time to complete such a job, but he was happy to provide a few referrals for companies that might be more likely to accomplish this apparent Herculean task. 

I connected with both companies he recommended. Before long, I had appointments on the schedule with a goal of getting panels up and active while the summer sun was still on our side.