It’s hotting up – Could solar be the answer for farmers?
We can’t avoid the fact that we have had a very dry, hot and sunny summer, with much of the rest of 2022 also being fairly bright.
It is not surprising then that many farming businesses are considering the benefits of diversification via solar energy production.
Now, in the latest news, a Gloucestershire solar power firm, MyPower, has reported record demand from farms.
Adam Henson is their latest customer and is delighted that having solar fits in with his father’s aims for the farm park – with plans to cut energy costs by up to 600 per cent.
MyPower said that the new system it has installed in the Cotswold Farm Park is capable of delivering approximately 92,000-kilowatt hours a year at a cost of roughly four to five pence per kWh, as opposed to the current price of National Grid electricity of 30 to 40 pence kWh.
Unlike domestic households, farms use a lot of power in daylight hours for things such as milking machines, refrigeration and lighting in dark sheds.
Installing solar also helps to negate the impact of future grid price rises, which the British Chambers of Commerce says will be faced by at least 65 per cent of UK businesses in the months to come.
What’s more, solar can provide a more active income where it is fed back into the national grid and farms receive payments from suppliers for their production of energy.
Want to explore the cost-saving benefits of solar and alternative energy? Speak to our team today.