Once a solar panel array is installed atop a pair of barns on the sprawling East Taunton farm, Couto Cranberries will generate its own power from renewable sources.
“This is going to supply the whole farm, and what I don’t use goes back to the TMLP,” said farmer Bill Couto, explaining that excess energy produced from his solar array will be sold back to the utility provider.
Several government officials visited Couto’s farm Tuesday to formally announce $700,000 in statewide grants, which will be split among 56 Massachusetts farms to assist with energy and environmental improvements.
“The farms that have grown our food for generations are growing a new crop today, clean energy,” state Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan said.
By helping farmers become more energy efficient, the state is enabling them to be viable and competitive in today’s economy, Sullivan said.