Messick’s Farm Equipment joins Lancaster County ranks of large-scale solar

More than 2,200 solar panels now grace the roof at ’s Farm Equipment’s corporate headquarters in Rapho Township.

The 1.07-megawatt system ranks among the top 10 in size in Lancaster County, and the company anticipates that it will eliminate up to 90% of its annual electric costs. Messick’s declined to provide figures for its annual electric costs or the cost of the solar installation.

“Our business is really energy intensive,” said Kevin Messick, corporate administrator at Messick’s Farm Equipment.

Using solar energy to power the headquarters helps balance out the climate impact of other aspects of the business, such as its fleet of service trucks.

“We can’t replace what’s happening on the road, but we can offset it here,” Messick said.

READ: New Pennsylvania solar customers face unexpected hurdles, costs

Final approval from PPL Electric Utilities came on May 17. The utility is responsible for connecting solar arrays to the grid. Installation ran from January to March.

The headquarters’ June electric bill was about 30% of last year’s cost, and Messick said he hopes its July bill will only reach 10% of last year’s as the facility continues to bank credits from its solar generation.

Paradise-township-based Paradise Energy Solutions handled the installation. It is the company’s largest roof-mounted solar system in the area, marketing manager Andy Schell said.

“This is a large investment by Messick’s in the company’s financial and environmental sustainability,” Schell said in an email. “It aligns with the values of many of Lancaster County’s agricultural producers.”

Kevin Messick shows the panels inside the electrical panel room at the Messick’s in Rapho Twp. on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.

Kevin Messick shows the digital dashboard on his computer inside his office at the Messick’s in Rapho Twp. on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.

Kevin Messick shows the 2,200-panel solar array on the roof at the Messick’s in Rapho Twp. on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.

Kevin Messick shows the panels inside the electrical panel room at the Messick’s in Rapho Twp. on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.

Kevin Messick shows the digital dashboard on his computer inside his office at the Messick’s in Rapho Twp. on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.

Kevin Messick shows the 2,200-panel solar array on the roof at the Messick’s in Rapho Twp. on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.

Local business inspiration

East Cocalico Township-based Four Seasons Produce, which now has a 3-megawatt solar array that includes more than 7,200 roof-based panels on its refrigerated warehouses, provided inspiration for Messick’s to go solar.

“We’re happy every day we go off grid,” said Randy Groff, director of facilities and energy at Four Seasons.

Four Seasons has been building its solar capacity since 2018, when it invested $1.7 million in a 1.3 megawatt array. This spring, the company invested another $2.5 million in a 1.7-megawatt array, bringing its solar capacity up to 3 megawatts.

The 2018 array lowered electricity costs by 40%, and Four Seasons is expecting an additional 20% cost reduction from the 2024 array, Groff said. He declined to provide dollar amounts.

The need to run refrigeration 24/7 makes offsetting 100% of the company’s electricity use an impractical goal, but the solar array allows the site to go off grid even on the hottest days, Groff said.

About a dozen different companies in Lancaster County have reached out to hear more about Four Seasons’ experience with solar, Groff said, adding that interest seems to be increasing.

Four Seasons went with Namaste Solar out of Colorado for its first solar installations and then switched to the Clay Township-based Meadow Valley Electric for its latest installation, completed this April.

The latest array should pay for itself in two years, Groff said.

READ: Solar United Neighbors brings co-op model to Lancaster County solar customers

Lancaster County’s largest solar arrays

Here are the 10 largest solar arrays in Lancaster County by capacity:

6 megawatts: Keystone Solar, intersection of Route 272 and Deaver Road, East Drumore Township

4.17 megawatts: Urban Outfitters Retail Distribution, 755 Brackbill Road, Salisbury Township

4.03 megawatts: TPE Pennsylvania Solar 1, LLC: 15 Springhouse Road, Ephrata Township

3.09 megawatts: Four Seasons Produce: 400 Wabash Road, East Cocalico Township

2.97 megawatts: Masonic Village: One Masonic Drive, West Donegal Township

2.61 megawatts: Elizabethtown Solar, across Campus Road from Schreiber Quadrangle of Elizabethtown College, Mount Joy Township

2.11 megawatts: Rock Lititz Solar Pod 2, 201 Rock Lititz Blvd., Warwick Township*

1.36 megawatts: Auction Road: 259 Auction Rd, Penn Township

1.11 megawatts: Indian Village Phase II solar, Kreider Farms, 451 Indian Village Road, Penn Township

1.07 megawatts: Messick’s Farm Equipment: 1475 Strickler Road, Rapho Township

*Note: Rock Lititz plans to expand its solar capacity to 7 megawatts across five buildings by 2025.

Source: Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards

Solar savings spread

Other local agricultural businesses have also seen significant savings from solar installations. Kreider Farms invested $4.2 million across three solar site installations that were completed between 2016 and 2017 – two in Penn Township and one Lower Swatara Township in Dauphin County.

Seven years of solar generation has brought Kreider Farms more than $2.5 million in savings, including reductions in electric costs and the sale of solar renewable energy credits, executive operations specialist Susan Bell said.

Agriculture isn’t the only industry benefiting from large-scale solar. Masonic Village at Elizabethtown installed a 1-megawatt solar array in 2011 and added an additional 2 megawatts in 2018. The two arrays now provide about 15% of the daily energy needs of the West Donegal Township campus.

This 2018 photo shows the 3-megawatt solar array at Masonic Village’s West Donegal Township campus.

Masonic Village at Elizabethtown

Masonic Village constructed its first solar array under a Power Purchasing Agreement model that required no upfront payment but instead required the community to purchase the energy its partner produced. The second array was constructed under a Power Services Agreement in which Masonic Village plays a flat annual fee for the electricity produced. Both projects were financed by partners utilizing federal tax credits.

Masonic Village’s solar arrays provide a rate of return of 15% to 20%, according to chief legal officer and chief engineer Patrick Sampsell.

Learn more about solar

National nonprofit Solar United Neighbors has set up a Solar Help Desk to provide free advice to homeowners, businesses and nonprofits who have questions about solar.

Access the SUN Solar Help Desk at lanc.news/solarhelpdesk.

Solar energy advice is also available from Lancaster County nonprofit RegenAll, which hosts a networking event called Carbon Neutral Coffee on the last Thursday of each month.

Check lanc.news/CNCmeetup for updated invites to Carbon Neutral Coffee.

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.