Packing with the sun

Most produce shippers wish their electricity bill was falling every month. At P-R Farms, Clovis, Calif., that's reality.

With 7,744 photovoltaic tiles atop the packing house, P-R Farms generates 1.1 megawatts of power, or enough to power 1,000 homes. More importantly, says P-R Farm's Vince Ricchuiti, is that the cells generate enough power that the average monthly electrical bill has dropped from $30,000 to $5,000.

P-R Farms bought its setup from PowerLight Corp., Berkeley, Calif.