Limoneira Company announced recently that it would begin using solar energy at Porterville Ranch, part of the Company’s northern California operations. In 2008, Limoneira unveiled its first solar facility at its headquarters in Santa Paula to provide energy for its packing operations. The following year, additional solar capacity was added at the Company’s northern farming operations at Ducor Ranch.
Harold Edwards, Limoneira’s CEO, said, “Clean solar energy is positive for our Company, the communities in which we operate and for our planet. These projects are the right thing to do, and they’ve been successful.”Limoneira is generating clean energy and capturing savings too. As energy costs continue to rise, the Company has locked in their electrical rates. The projects reduce their electrical costs from Southern California Edison by approximately 70%.
Mark Palamountain, Senior Director of Agricultural Operations, said that, “Limoneira’s solar facilities are capable of producing 3,900 megawatt hours annually or 97,500 MW over a 25-year period which equates to a reduction of 64,000 tons of CO2 emissions.”Edwards said that, “Like its predecessors, we expect a good return from this new solar project. We’ll continue to evaluate projects that make sense for us.”
Technology has been advancing rapidly, and the project located at the Company’s Porterville Ranch, about 50 miles north of Bakersfield, California, is expected to deliver 385,000 KW yearly.Limoneira’s Porterville Ranch is 669 acres with 650 acres of agricultural plantings consisting of approximately 145 acres of lemons, 376 acres of Navel oranges, 27 acres of Valencia oranges, and 102 acres of specialty citrus and other crops.Limoneira’s sustainability efforts are extensive. In addition to solar energy, the Company has sustainable projects for green waste recycling, water, integrated pest management and work force housing a comprehensive overview can be found on the Company’s website.
