Treeline Acres in Brainerd is adding something new to its property that will help keep costs down. Winkelman Solar installs solar panels that harness the sun and generate energy, which is then used to generate electricity for use on the farm.

Treeline Acres, owned by Thomas Zimmermann, is a micro farm with bees, goats, chickens, alpacas, and garden vegetables. To keep a farm like this up and running, it needs a lot of electricity. To help reduce costs, they found a solution to use solar energy.

The idea all started this spring when the Zimmermanns reached out to Winkelman Solar. The family’s goal is and is to make their own energy by using the sun and making some improvements to continue.

To get this process up and running, they looked at an expiring tax credit, and after much thought and consideration, the opportunity was hard to pass up.

The way solar panels work and help in the field is that the sun hits the glass and penetrates the silicone inside the glass. There is a layer of metal and silicone that reacts to sunlight and helps electrons flow through the panel. After completion, the electrons are harvested by the wires and sent back to the grid.

For now, the solar panels will support the Zimmermanns’ home and farm, but they hope to provide more projects in the future. They plan to install greenhouses, grow native plants, and process fibers from their alpacas.

Reducing one’s electricity bill is the main goal, but solar panels also help the environment by reducing carbon emissions from other sources of electricity.

For the home owner, business, or non-profit interested in cutting costs themselves, the average time frame to get a solar panel process like this up-and-running is 90 day from start to finish.

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