Monday, October 26, 2009 at 1:39:36 PM - by Nate Lew

Minturn Huller, an almond processing company in Chowchilla, California, is a recent adopter of solar energy, reports the Fresno Bee.

The processing plant's general manager Jeff Hamilton says that Minturn's electric bill totals $45,000 or $50,000 per month. And the solar system, installed by San Diego-based Cenergy Power, should cut 20 percent from that amount.

A 2008 article in American/Western Fruit Grower details Cenergy's arrangement with farmers and agricultural producers. The solar equipment is leased from Cenergy over a seven-year period; when the lease is over, lessees have the option of buying the equipment and continuing to save on their electric bills.

Farmers' lease costs are anticipated to be more than offset by their energy savings. Electricity costs are a concern for those in the low-margin agriculture industry; at Minturn Huller, the almond hulling and shelling equipment is on 24 hours a day in the peak season.

"We are trying to manage our costs as best we can, and we are hoping this will be a good step forward," says Minturn's Hamilton about the new solar energy equipment.