P.I. broccoli producer pursues energy efficiency

PRESQUE ISLE – A local broccoli producer is greener than usual after joining forces with Efficiency Maine to complete energy-efficient projects totaling about $129,000.

Presque Isle-based Smith’s Farm, one of the largest broccoli producers east of the Mississippi River, is preparing for the upcoming harvest after working with the state agency to install new equipment in three of its facilities, Jason Barnes, the farm’s finance director, said Wednesday.

Through Efficiency Maine’s business program, Smith’s Farm received about $25,897 in cash incentives to install new refrigeration systems for two product storage coolers, a ventilation system for its potato storage unit, and an energy-efficient lighting system at its potato warehouse, Barnes said.

The company learned about the Efficiency Maine program last year and began working with a program consultant, eventually putting together three separate applications over the course of the summer, Barnes said.

Efficiency Maine, which is funded by electricity consumers and administered by the Maine Public Utilities Commission, oversees a statewide effort to promote efficient electricity use, help lower overall electricity costs for Maine ratepayers, and improve Maine’s environment.

The Presque Isle company’s three projects were approved and completed by November. With harvest time nearing, Smith’s Farm expects to use its equipment at full capacity in the next few weeks and reap significant cost savings because of the changeover, Barnes said.

As part of the first project, company officials replaced aging refrigeration equipment which was showing problems in 2004. Smith’s Farm uses the cooling facility to hold freshly harvested broccoli until it is transported to market. The company plants about 3,000 acres of the crop in Aroostook County.

Barnes said that the old equipment was not holding temperatures consistently and that the company was looking to update it.

In the second project, officials replaced a 15-year-old air management system at its potato storage facility with a newer, more efficient system. Barnes said the company does not grow potatoes, but instead purchases, markets and stores them. The new system moves air within the storage facility, keeping potatoes at a constant temperature and humidity so they can be stored through the winter.

The third project, to install energy-efficient exterior lighting on a potato warehouse facility, replaced a system that was at least 15 years old, Barnes said.

“We expect a dollar savings from using energy-efficient equipment,” he said.