Mother Earth News_December_2016_2017

78 Mother earth News December 2016/January 2017

Ask Our Experts

usually be heavy enough to cause is-

sues. All solar panels undergo pres-

sure tests to assess durability and

quality. Ratings vary by panel, with

higher pressure ratings indicating

that your panels are better at with-

standing the weight of heavy snow.

2 Solar panels need sunlight to

produce power, so if your solar pan-

els are covered in snow, they won’t

generate electricity. Most panels

are tilted at an angle, so snow will

slide off on its own accord, but that

can take time. You can take control

of the situation by getting a solar

panel snow rake or a similar tool

made for solar panel snow removal

that won’t damage the panels.

3 Cold, sunny weather is ac-

tually good for panels as long as

they’re not covered by snow. Like

most electronics, solar panels func-

tion more efficiently in cold conditions than

they do in heat. This means that your panels

will produce more power usable for each pre-

cious hour of sunshine during the short days

of winter.

Sunny states, such as California, Arizona,

and Florida, aren’t the only places where

solar makes sense. In fact, the top 10 cit-

ies for solar in the United States aren’t the

sunniest ones. The Solar Energy Industries

Association (SEIA) ranks Massachusetts, New

Jersey, and New York in the top 10

for states with the highest amount

of installed solar in 2015. This is

largely because electricity prices

are one of the biggest drivers of so-

lar savings — the higher your elec-

tricity rates are, the more money

you’ll save by going solar.

Now that you know that your so-

lar panels can produce electricity

in winter, consider this: Winter is

also the best time to shop for so-

lar if you’re a homeowner looking

for the best value possible. With

the EnergySage Solar Marketplace

(www.EnergySage.com), you can

compare equipment options and fi-

nancing products from multiple in-

stallers to find the right solar panel

system for your needs.

— Vikram Aggarwal, founder

and CEO of EnergySage

Prevent Bird Flu in

Your Home Flock

I’m concerned about reports of the

avian flu virus, which I’ve heard can

pass from wild birds to chickens. How

can I protect my flock?

I am a true free-range, heritage-breed, multi-

species poultry farmer in the Northwest. I raise

heritage chickens, ducks, turkeys, and geese

together in one flock on pasture in a direct

path of migratory wild bird flocks.

In 2015, there was an outbreak of

bird flu in my county. This would

have most poultry raisers running

for the hills. But my birds aren’t

sick, have never been sick, and,

I predict, will not get sick. I have

excellent biosecurity measures in

place at my farm, even though these

measures aren’t the same biosecu-

rity measures proposed by the U.S.

Department of Agriculture (USDA).

I fully understand the risks and am

flat against allowing any virus to

take hold of my flock and endan-

ger my family and community. My

biosecurity measures aren’t for ev-

eryone. If you’re a part-time poultry

raiser and your birds and livestock

are more of an afterthought, or if you

choose to confine your livestock and

don’t participate in all the measures

I suggest, the USDA biosecurity measures

would probably suit your circumstances better.

When I faced the decision to use either the

USDA’s industrial biosecurity measures or to

come up with another viable solution, I won-

dered why only a tiny percentage of wild birds

actually become ill from this deadly infection,

even though they’re often carriers of the virus.

Why do wild birds stay healthy even though

they’re routinely exposed to the virus? The rea-

son is that they’re wild. They’re graced with

lots of sunshine, a variety of food,

the ability to exercise, a balanced

flock, and a natural life cycle. My

solution is fairly simple: Imitate na-

ture and add in only a touch of hu-

man intervention where necessary.

Here are some steps I’ve come up

with to stop bird flu in its tracks:

1 Free-range your livestock on

spacious, diverse, fresh pasture.

Allow them free access to a multi-

tude of grasses; legumes; berries,

such as elderberries and blackber-

ries; insects; worms and slugs; and

health-promoting herbs, such as

oregano, plantain, and sage. For

ducks and chickens, provide about

5 to 10 square feet per bird, and for

turkeys and geese, provide 10 to 20

square feet, depending on seasonal

weather and the current condition

Mimic natural conditions to keep your flock happy and healthy. of the pasture. Rotate them often;

Most panels are tilted at an angle, so snow will slide off on its own.

You can take control of the situation with a solar panel snow rake.

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