Durham College Turns Farmer’s Fields into Power Plants

GreenWorks solar array in Homer, Michigan.

Durham College is helping to make a new industry for farmers, while creating clean energy for Ontario homes.

A joint effort between Durham College and GreenWorks Solar Power is placing solar panels into farmer’s fields. The plan is to turn unused fields into solar charging stations, which benefit the area by creating clean energy as well as new micro-economies.

Traditionally, the panels normally produce enough energy to pay for themselves after 4 years. However, GreenWorks’ CEO Steven Kayser wanted to shorten that time, enabling farmers to start earning profit sooner. He worked with Durham College researcher Brent Brooks to create a computerized control system for the two-axis solar tracker mechanism, allowing the solar panels to follow the sun for maximum energy production.

These new panels not only give the farmers a better return on their investment, they also give Canada a global edge, according to Kayser.

“Direct selling and heavy R&D through research at Durham College resulted in a tracker that is designed specifically to handle Ontario winters, which has given us an advantage over our global competitors.”