California Farmers Embrace Solar Power

The abundance of California sunshine during large parts of the year have helped the region become one of the most important agricultural producers in the world. Now, many California farmers are using that same sunshine to produce electricity, lowering their needs for centralized power delivery, particularly during the long, hot summers. One second-generation farmer, Pat Ricchiuti, has cut his annual $1.5 million energy bill by 50 percent after installing 7,730 solar panels, which generate 1 megawatt of energy.