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A little about Carlson Orchards
Carlson Orchards was founded in 1936 by Walter and
Eleanor Carlson. In the thirties and forties, they made
their living from a diversified farm of chickens, cows,
potatoes and apples. In the late sixties, the farm
specialized in fruits with apples being the main crop.
The Carlsons are dedicated to growing the best tree
fruits, blueberries, raspberries, and pumpkins as well
as producing the best tasting apple cider available
anywhere.
Carlson Orchards now grows fruit on 140 acres
producing:
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60,000 bushels of apples
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5,000 baskets of peaches and nectarines
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Over 500,000 gallons of apple cider annually.
Flash
pasteurization
of our cider enables us to continue
to produce and sell the highest quality of apple cider.
Our products are sold and distributed by us throughout
New England to farmstands, wholesalers, and major
chainstore super markets such as Wholefoods, Shaw's,
Star Markets, Foodmaster, Donelans, and others.
Today Bruce, Frank and Robert Carlson, the three proud
sons of Walter & Eleanor, are dedicated to maintaining
their family's fine reputation and the great tradition
of high quality apple and apple products that was born
over 63 years ago.
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Massachusetts Cap and Trade Helps Carlson Orchards Go
Solar
August 18, 2010 | Susan Kraemer
One
of the largest orchards in Massachusetts has just cut
its utility bill 80% with a $1.1 million 220 KW solar
power plant. The state of Massachusetts helped Carlson
Orchards with
grants totaling $595,000 to help in the installation of
the 1,050 solar photovoltaic panels.
Massachusetts earns
money to invest in renewable energy with cap
and trade auctions as
a participating member of the Regional Greenhouse Gas
Initiative (RGGI).
RGGI is a 10-state cap and trade
program that caps emissions from 233 power plants from
Maine to Maryland. It has generated $433 million for
renewable investments in the 10 participating states.
RGGI earnings help Massachusetts
reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by taking big energy
users like the orchard off the dirty fossil grid. So far
Massachusetts has earned $106
million in
RGGI auctions.
But getting the grant
wasn’t easy. It took a professional “green” project
manager eight months of researching and fulfilling the
arduous grant application process required.
Carlson Orchards uses
400,000 kilowatt hours a year, mostly for refrigeration.
Last year the farm spent $80,000 last year on
electricity. Now the 220 KW solar plant in the orchard
supplies most of its energy (80%) or 320,000 kilowatt
hours a year. Only 20% of the farm’s needs is now
supplied from the dirty grid.
Massachusetts is one of the members of
RGGI, found by Environment
America to
be close to meeting Kyoto requirements. The state is
one of 4 RGGI participants to have reduced
its greenhouse gases to below 1990 levels.
This
is an example of how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Take money from pollution and use it to make clean
energy instead. The very green state is one of the best
places for renewable energy support for both homeowners
and businesses, according to Solar
Power Rocks!
The state disbursed the
grants through through the Massachusetts Clean Energy
Center (CEC) ($565,000) and the Massachusetts
Department of Agricultural Resources ($30,000). The USDA
National Conservation Resource Services also chipped in
$287,000 in Federal Recovery Act funding set aside for
agricultural renewable energy efficiency projects.
The 1,050 solar
panels in the array were purchased from Massachusetts
own Evergreen
Solar, Inc.
Local solar installation company Lighthouse
Electrical Contracting designed
and installed the project and Massachusetts-based
inverter giant Solectria
Renewables supplied
the inverters. Only the ground mount racks were from out
of state. New Mexico company DPW
Solar Corporation built
them.
Begun in the
1930′s, Carlson Orchards started with chickens, cows,
potatoes and apples. In the late sixties, the farm
specialized in fruit, mainly apples. As well as making
apple cider, the farm grows blueberries, raspberries,
and pumpkins as well.
And on the side, now it’s growing
a healthy future climate for future farmers.
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We love our orchards and know you will too.
We regret that we cannot allow animals into the orchard.
Please visit us soon and remember to eat fruit at least
five times daily!
Bring Home the Good Life!
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For information about what crop is available and when,
please visit our Growing Schedule.
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On The Farm
