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Woody Folsom – GA

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Solar supports savings and job creation for Georgia business owner

By: Gabe Hutchison

Business owners in search of savings have found a powerful ally in solar energy.  Woody Folsom, a rancher, poultry farmer, and car dealer from Baxley, Georgia, experienced the benefits when he installed solar panels on his farm in 2021 and car dealerships in 2022.

Woody, an entrepreneur by nature, got his start in the auto industry in 1996. He later founded Circle F Farms, a cattle ranch, in 2011, and expanded it to include a poultry operation in 2019.  

Raising chickens provided a new revenue stream. It also considerably increased his energy demand. “My light bills were kind of getting out of control at my poultry houses,” said Woody. As his monthly bill climbed to $20,000 a month, he began looking for a solution. Without one, “I wasn’t going to be able to make any money,” he shared. 

Woody got in touch with One World Solar, who broke down how much money he could save on energy costs. That got him interested. Learning the project was eligible for the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and grant funding through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) moved things forward. “That made it a lot more attractive.” The farm’s solar arrays have lowered Woody’s energy bills by 50 percent.

After decreasing his poultry farm’s fixed costs, Woody saw an opportunity to do the same for his other enterprises. Now he could receive additional financial support because of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). In 2022, the IRA increased the ITC to 30 percent and expanded REAP, allowing him to save even more on the upfront costs of the installations.

Two of Woody’s neighboring dealerships could also go solar, but the total cost was $3.5 million. Thanks to a three-year financing term, combined with a 30 percent tax credit, REAP grants, and energy savings, the actual costs of the entire project required “less than a couple [$]100,000 out of pocket,” said Woody. “And that’s not even counting what I think it will do to [my] property as far as value.”

Over the first two years of operation, the dealership project “is doing the same thing any business owner wants [solar] to do—it’s saving me money,” proclaimed Woody. By going solar, he has been able to generate more profit, reduce debt, and expand payroll.

The savings and security solar provides are helping him continue to grow, which in turn creates jobs for his community.Between his farm and dealerships, Woody is proud to employ almost 600 people. In recent years he added a feed store, meat store, and side-by-side vehicle dealership to his list of enterprises.

“I’m just a car dealer and a chicken farmer and a rancher just trying to be successful and using every avenue I can to save money and be able to stay in business,” said Woody. The federal incentives that made the initial capital investments manageable have allowed solar to be a valuable tool for achieving a profitable bottom line. “I don’t think I could have done it without [REAP],” Woody admitted. Now, after seeing the benefits firsthand, he strongly recommends solar to others in his position. “It’s a very wise decision for a business owner. I can tell you that.”

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