Nestled in the foothills of the Brushy Mountains of North Carolina, Deal Orchards, a third-generation family-owned fruit farm, understands the value of creating a more sustainable future. That’s why, in 2024 it enrolled a portion of it stone fruit and apple acreage in the EcoCertified program, a rigorous, science-based method of commercial tree fruit production focused on protecting pollinators, beneficial insects and environmental resources.
Deal Orchards is the first orchard in the southeast to become an EcoCertified grower. Now the company can add generating 75% of its energy needs with on-site solar to its list of environmentally sustainable practices.
Pisgah Energy worked closely with Deal Orchards to design, develop and install the rooftop solar project on its roadside market and packing house. This system, totaling 77 kW and featuring Qcells and SolarEdge products, will serve as on-site electrical generation and produce over 95,000 kWh of clean, renewable energy annually.
“We decided to install solar for two very practical reasons — to reduce our carbon footprint and our energy bills,” said Alan Deal, President of Deal Orchards. “Legacy is important to us and the fact that we can do the right thing for the future of our community and environment while saving money now is fantastic. We’re grateful to Pisgah Energy for all they’ve done to bring our vision to fruition.”
“We loved working with the folks at Deal Orchards,” said Evan Becka, President of Pisgah Energy. “It’s inspiring to see how they’ve expanded their idea of stewardship to include the production of renewable energy. They’re an incredible example for other orchards in the region.”
News item from Pisgah Energy
“Ecocertified”, the bottom line is the bottom line. When YOU use technology to remove the middleman in Energy costs, YOU save money. In ANY business saving money on “overhead costs”, like fuel and electricity bills monthly can mean the difference between failing and keeping the business alive during economic down turns on any given year. In the overview picture, this business has a lot of room for “AgriVoltaic” raised panels to use as crop protection and or polinator habitats for the entire Orchard operation.