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Sweet & Salty Farm is a small dairy farm right on the ocean's edge in Little Compton, Rhode Island. Husband and wife Andrew Morely and Laura Haverland started their business almost 10 years ago, with the intention of running a sustainable farm powered by renewable energy. In 2017, the couple reached their goal, installing a 19.8 kilowatt solar array atop their creamery, designed to cover 100 percent of all their electrical needs.
The team at Sweet & Salty Farm prides themselves on their full circle practices, avoiding the use of chemicals, pesticides and more. The farm is known for its grass-fed Jersey cows and pure yogurt and cheeses, made right on the premises. Planning to eventually install solar, the owners built their creamery with a southwest facing roof to ensure maximum efficiency of the array.
“We've been so happy to have the array in a place that people can see from the road and any visitors to our farm always ask questions about it, people love to take pictures next to it," said Laura Haverland.
Andrew and Laura pursued several grants including the Rhode Island Agricultural Energy Program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program, and Rhode Island Commerce’s Renewable Energy Fund. The Federal Investment Tax Credit also provides additional savings.
The payback period of the project came out to only 3 and a half years, and the farm expects to save about $6,000 each year in electric bill costs.
“Our farming business is essentially based on harnessing the sun's energy," said Laura. "We grow grass, which is powered by the sun. The cows eat the grass, and their amazing multiple stomachs digest the grass and turn it into milk, and we use the milk to make all of our cheese and yogurt. We are essentially bottling the sun's energy in cheese and aging it to be enjoyed later.”
If you are a farmer or small business owner looking for ways to save money on your energy bills, please contact our helpful staff at the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources.
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