The value of being greener

The 112 photovoltaic panels, installed above the building where curds are pressed into wheels, brined, and aged into creamy smoked gouda, havarti, and cheddar, generate 33 percent of his electricity and save $1,000 a month, he estimates. It takes 110 pounds of milk to make one wheel of gouda, and that means a lot of energy. His 200 Holsteins have to be milked three times a day to keep them healthy. Smith rises at 3 a.m. and oversees the early-morning session. Shown: Ashley Girouard, left, and Courtney Rodgerson busy hooping curds during the process of making cheese at Smith's
Bill Greene/ Globe staff

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By Kathleen Pierce, Globe Correspondant

The 112 photovoltaic panels, installed above the building where curds are pressed into wheels, brined, and aged into creamy smoked gouda, havarti, and cheddar, generate 33 percent of his electricity and save $1,000 a month, he estimates.

It takes 110 pounds of milk to make one wheel of gouda, and that means a lot of energy. His 200 Holsteins have to be milked three times a day to keep them healthy. Smith rises at 3 a.m. and oversees the early-morning session.

Shown: Ashley Girouard, left, and Courtney Rodgerson busy hooping curds during the process of making cheese at Smith's