Solar plant set for California rice dryer
Courtesy of GreenVolts Inc.
GreenVolts is planning a 464-kilowatt solar plant at Van Dyke’s Rice Dryer in Pleasant Grove.
GreenVolts Inc. has commissioned a 464-kilowatt solar plant at Van Dyke’s Rice Dryer in Pleasant Grove.
Van Dyke’s in Sutter County is one of several rice drying facilities in the Sacramento Valley that contributes to California’s $1.8 billion rice industry. The warehousing operation handles close to 160 million pounds of rice per year.
According to owner Jim Van Dyke, about 23 percent of the operation’s cost is electricity and the price of electricity is rising between 5 percent and 6 percent per year.
Van Dyke’s Rice Dryer opted for GreenVolts in part because the highly efficient solar technology takes up less land that traditional silicon or thin-film solar technologies.
Van Dyke identified 4 acres for the solar project. Other options took up to 10 acres, according to Van Dyke.
The Fremont solar manufacturer says it is the only solar manufacturer in the U.S. offering a fully integrated solar system.
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