Costa Farms Ramps Up Sustainability Efforts With Solar Energy Investments
September 15, 2015 
Costa Farms’ new solar panels will offset 493,487 pounds of carbon dioxide annually
Costa Farms is always looking to improve its processes, and in fact, has dedicated an entire department to research and development, to work toward new solutions that will increase efficency, save money for both the operation and its customers and reduce labor. And when it comes to implementing new products and solutions, Costa Farms has a strict, three-year payback threshold under which it expects all of its investments to perform.
But sometimes, that payback period doesn’t have to be quite so strict, especially when it means implementing Earth-friendly technology that will help the operation further its sustainability efforts, says Jose Smith, president and CEO of Costa Farms.
That was his thinking when Costa Farms decided to install solar panels at the company’s headquarters and two other buildings in Miami, to take advantage of the high sunlight available. Since this past May, the operation, which ranks No. 2 on Greenhouse Grower’s Top 100 Growers list, has relied on solar panels for 25 percent of its energy use.
“Sustainability is a top priority for Costa Farms and for the communities where we live and work,” Smith says. “With almost 250 days of sun annually, we think Miami could be the leader in solar energy.”
The program intially didn’t make economic sense for Costa Farms, but a local subsidy program made it more feasible, Smith says.
“When we look at programs like this, that are better for the environment, more sustainable and Earth-friendly, there is a little extra consideration,” he says. “Even though there is a subsidy involved in this program, it still doesn’t get close to meeting our threshold of a three-year payback; it’s in the five- to six-year payback range. And although that’s roughly double what our normal expectation is, it’s something we thought was the right thing to do.”
Costa’s Solar Investment Will Continue To Be Evaluated
The solar panels are installed on three different buidings. The largest installation is on the new headquarters building, and solar panels also cover the largest shipping facility and the largest production facility.
“We had to go through and make sure the installation wouldn’t invalidate any of the warranties that we have on our roofs, or our insurance, but that wasn’t difficult. The guys who did the installation have done a very good job,” Smith says. “They’re used to doing more complex installations than they did here, so it wasn’t difficult at all.”
The 861 solar panels covering 22,386 square feet will generate approximately 386,534 kilowatt-hours with zero greenhouse-gas emissions annually. The annual CO2 offset is 493,487 pounds, which is equivalent to taking 45 cars off the street or planting 56 acres of trees.
Costa Farms will evaluate the installation and what the payback will be over the next year. Despite being subsidized, it’s still been an expensive installation, so it’s realistic to find out if the investment is meeting the expected return, Smith says.
Sustainable Solutions Provide Many Direct And Indirect Benefits
Installing solar panels is part of Costa Farms’ commitment to sustainabilty, which has built over the years from recycling plastic and cardboard to recapturing water and reducing its use of chemicals through the use of biocontrols and integrated pest management, Smith says.
The company has been focused on indoor clean air initiatives since the launch of its “O2 for You-Houseplants with a Purpose” educational campaign on Earth Day in 2007. By reducing the amount of electricity drawn from sources such as coal and natural gas, Costa Farms is contributing to cleaner air, water and soil.
The energy savings from the use of the Costa Farms’ solar panels is also equal to reducing barrels of oil by 574 gallons, propane use by 185,058 pounds or recycling 85 tons of waste per year.
Reducing carbon emissions is part of a long-term strategy for Costa Farms to manage its impact on the nation’s carbon footprint. The operation has also installed occupancy and daylight sensors to control the lights at its corporate headquarters and painted the roof with reflective paint.
“By switching to solar panels, we’re focusing on doing the right thing for our community, the planet and our company,” Smith says.
For more information on Costa Farms or its O2 For You educational campaign, visit costafarms.com.
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