Sunnybrooks farm case study0 pages

GAS AND DIESEL ENGINES

Dresser-Rand® Guascor® Engines and Gen-sets

Sunny Brook Farms
Case Study

The Opportunity
Founded by an entrepreneurial young farmer more than
a decade ago to grow cotton, pistachios, pomegranates,
tomatoes, and wheat, Sunny Brook Farms is a 2,000 acre
ranch located in Stratford, California, USA. Phil Brooks, the
president and founder of Sunny Brook Farms, has been
farming for more than 35 years and is no stranger to the
challenges of the trade. The industry is subject to commodity
price fluctuations, ever-changing weather and numerous
regulations. Above all, Mr. Brook’s primary concern is how to
reliably harvest water from the ground for the lowest cost per
acre-foot of irrigation for Sunny Brook.
Whether it is the use of GPS to manage farm operations, or drip irrigation to maximize plant productivity,
Sunny Brook Farms remains on the forefront of efficient farming technology. According to Mr. Brooks, in a
highly-competitive environment like farming, Sunny Brook has to be as efficient as it can in all aspects of
operation. It was this tenet that led Mr. Brooks to Dresser-Rand’s engine distributor, Valley Power Systems, in
Fresno, California for a solution to efficiently and reliably provide power for a new 1,500 foot irrigation well.
In addition to natural gas-driven prime movers, Sunny Brook Farms’ personnel evaluated both diesel and
electric pump-drive options. In analyzing energy costs, Sunny Brook Farms’ personnel estimated that dieseldriven pump irrigation could cost up to $160 per acre-foot. An electrically-driven pump was estimated to cost
$90 per acre-foot in addition to being subject to yearly minimum electrical usage guarantees. At a per acre
fuel cost of less than $50 per acre-foot, a natural gas prime mover was the obvious choice.

The Solution
Valley Power Systems recommended a natural gas-fueled Dresser-Rand® Guascor® 24 liter lean-burn enginedriven pump-drive solution. Designed, packaged and installed by Valley Power Systems, the 600 horsepower
Dresser-Rand Guascor engine reliably pumps 2,750 gallons of water per minute. The high efficiency of the
engine translated into tens of thousands of dollars of fuel savings every year when compared to an equivalent
diesel pump drive. Sunny Brook Farms will realize a return on investment within a 24-month period.
Performance and efficiency were
not the only benefits Sunny Brook
Farms realized. The SFGLD240
engine meets local air-board
standards without exhaust after
treatment. An independent third
party tested the engine emissions
and stated that the Dresser-Rand
Guascor engine was one of
the cleanest engines they have
evaluated.