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Dunphy’s Poultry: An egg farm using solar energy

This profile is the first in the innovative farmer series—a collection of farm profiles that highlight sustainability and innovation projects underway on Canadian egg farms.  

Dunphy’s Poultry Farm Ltd. made history when it became one of the first farms in Atlantic Canada to integrate solar-powered battery storage into its operations.1  

Justin Dunphy, who oversees poultry production at the fourth generation family farm in Keswick, New Brunswick, spearheaded the project. He was looking for sustainable solutions to reduce the farm’s reliance on the electrical grid and make energy costs more predictable.  

How solar power works in egg farming 
The micro solar farm is a simple, on-site system that converts sunlight into electricity. The key innovation is the battery storage that allows the farm to capture solar energy and use it to power essential systems at night or during a power outage. The system switches to battery power during peak-rate times to take advantage of solar energy and ensures that the battery is fully charged before storms for added reliability. Reliable power is important to keep things running smoothly on an egg farm, making sure the barns stay ventilated and warm, and that all the systems that deliver feed and water to hens are running smoothly. 

Justin Dunphy looked for sustainable solutions to reduce the farm’s reliance on the electrical grid and make energy costs more predictable.

The impact of solar energy 
From April 2024 to March 2025, more than 63% of the farm’s power was supplied by the solar energy system. This is roughly the amount of energy it would take to power about 20 average Canadian homes for an entire year.2  

“The pullet barn is 100% solar-powered, even in the wintertime,” says Justin

The system also significantly lowers the farm’s carbon footprint—they’ve eliminated 88 tonnes of CO2 since installation.2 

The micro-solar farm is a simple, on-site system that converts sunlight into electricity.

This solar initiative is just one example of how egg farmers are embracing innovative technology to reduce their environmental impact. Justin hopes their success encourages more egg farmers to explore solar energy and/or other sources of renewable energy. 

Want to learn more? Take a deep dive into this project by reviewing our fact sheet. 

1 Egg Farmers of Canada. (2025). Sustainable solutions in egg farming: A case study on solar energy [Fact sheet]. <2025-09-17-Innovative-farmer-series-dunphy-poultry-farm.pdf> 

2 EnergyRates.ca. (2025). Residential electricity and natural gas rates. https://energyrates.ca/residential-electricity-natural-gas/ 

3 Egg Farmers of Canada. (2025). Sustainable solutions in egg farming: A case study on solar energy [Fact sheet]. <2025-09-17-Innovative-farmer-series-dunphy-poultry-farm.pdf>