Maryland Horse Council
Farm Stewardship Summer Meeting
August 14, 2014
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Headquarters
Annapolis, Maryland
Meeting Summary
Jane Thery, Chair, Maryland Horse
Council Farm Stewardship Committee
The day was quite beautiful, with a
hint of fall in the air. About twenty
people attended the meeting entitled, “Energy Use on Your Horse Farm.” Our light-filled conference room faces the
Chesapeake Bay. Jane Thery opened the
session, noting that the Maryland Horse Forum had just been held and that
results of the Forum would be available within the next couple of months, the
next Farm Stewardship meeting will be held on October 13 and will focus on
composting, and naming the eighteen horse farms now recognized under the Farm
Stewardship Certification and Assessment Program (FSCAP) – well on the way to
meeting the twenty horse farms goal for 2014.
Dan Johannes, Maryland Agriculture
Coordinator of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, welcomed the group to the Philip Merrill building which is designed for the highest level of
energy efficiency. He noted the
importance of addressing energy use on horse farms and stated the Chesapeake
Bay Foundation’s support for the environmental awareness of the horse community.
Dean
Fisher, Program Manager at the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA), presented
his track record in matching funding sources to successful energy efficiency
project on Maryland farms. He emphasized
the dissemination of “best practices” in energy savings through case studies
and videos available on the MEA website.
Dean recommended energy audits to identify areas on a farm that could
benefit from upgrades. Unfortunately,
these audits can cost in the thousands of dollars. There may be funds available for reducing
demands on the energy grid. He noted
that the large energy suppliers such as PEPCO, Dominion and BG & E have
energy efficiency program that could be used by horse farms. The Maryland Horse Council is looking forward
to including horse farms in future MEA farm energy efficiency programs.
John
Blackburn, Senior Principal of Blackburn Architects, presented his work on
building natural light and ventilation into stable design. He showed the group a diagram of how roof
design, including roof venting, could promote updrafts in stables to provide
healthy, fresh air for the horses and reduce the need for fans. Sky lights
are also added to provide light throughout the stable and to reduce the risk of
electrical fires. He also promotes the
use of solar panels to generate on-farm electricity. John has designed a series of “green stables”
for a variety of climates, including low-cost options. He noted that existing stables can undergo
modifications to significantly improve their natural light and
ventilation.
Wayne
Brechtel, Senior Field Energy Consultant from SolarCity, explained how his
company installs solar panels that generate energy for farms and provide energy
to the existing electrical grid. He
explained that the combination of federal and state incentive programs and
high-quality available technology make this an excellent time to install solar
panels in Maryland. His company will
meet with potential clients and review where solar panels could be located and
the saving in monthly electrical costs.
The company is fully responsible for maintaining the solar panels over
their lifetime. Agreements with the
company are made with a 20 year time horizon and include energy savings over
time. One important issue for horse
farms is the designation of your electrical meter as residential or
commercial. The rates are higher for
commercial meters. SolarCity is
enthusiastic about offering their services to more horse farms.
Last
but not least, about half of our group took a canoe tour of the inlet next to
the Chesapeake Bay Foundation headquarters and received a briefing from Claire
Cambardella on the life in the Bay and how to measure water clarity and oxygen
content. We also saw many ospreys, blue
heron and native plants. Doug Myers, the
senior Chesapeake Bay Foundation scientist, joined our canoe group and noted
that the main threat to the Bay is too much nitrogen and phosphorous that leads
to algae blooms and die-offs which cut off oxygen and light to the natural Bay
flora and fauna.
Many
thanks to the sponsors of our refreshments, Piedmont Insurance and SolarCity,
as well as the meeting host, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Dean Fisher, Jane Thery, Dan Johannes, John Blackburn, Wayne Brechtel
(Photo from the Maryland Energy Administration)
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