Linda Barber runs a farm. A pretty large one in fact. Barber Bros. Dairy in Saratoga County is over 1,200 acres with 650 dairy cows. Her day-to-day requires that she makes numerous decisions. All that influence the future of her business.

How she sources energy for her farm is one such decision that has had quite a large impact on her business but also has been a source of frustration in the past.

"As large consumers of electricity, farms are a target for all kinds of energy companies, good and bad, so we are skeptical when someone comes with an energy proposal that's going to save us money," Linda explained.

So when she looks to make a business decision concerning her farm’s energy source, she looks at the company and energy proposal from a number of angles. Linda said she asks, “Does it make sense for us? Are they reputable? Can we rely on them? Will they be helpful?”

Linda thought that community solar through PowerMarket checked all of these boxes. But it was after a trusted farmer joined community solar that Linda decided to try it as well.

For a large business like a farm, with multiple electric meters, working with the utilities can be difficult. Linda recalled PowerMarket’s cofounder, Nick Baudouin, working with her to make sure each of her utility accounts were set up properly and all of her problems were resolved.

"[W]e worked with Nick to get this thing going and it's been great. It really has. I mean, I've saved a lot of money," Linda recalled.

Choosing community solar has been a good business decision for Linda because it allows the farm to realize substantial guaranteed monthly savings while supporting local energy and the health of our environment. A true win-win.

And while community solar provides these benefits, there’s something inspiring about renewable energy playing a role in her business. “I believe in solar energy,” Linda said. Community solar gives subscribers the ability to take action in supporting a cleaner future for themselves, their community, and their business. PowerMarket is proud to bring community solar to farmers like Linda.