Farmers earn extra income with solar buildings
THE recently announced Feed-in tariff for solar photovoltaics (PV) is good news for UK farmers.
Rather than using valuable land for solar PV, the roofs of British farm buildings can prove an ideal space for solar panels, thanks to a wide choice of new solar PV building materials now available.
Farmers can earn in the region of £16,000 income a year, saving over £1800 in electricity bills, with income and savings anticipated to be more than £465,000 over 25 years. This is due to the preferable rate set for the Feed-in tariff of 31.4p paid for each unit of electricity generated and can create an additional, guaranteed revenue stream. It also helps future-proof against rising electricity prices, which is crucial for power intensive farming.
In France, since the Feed-in tariff started in 2008, solar PV has become a common choice on farms. It is a proven renewable technology with minimal planning or maintenance concerns that can make good use of existing farm buildings without impacting on agricultural land.
Derry Newman, CEO, Solarcentury said: “As the most experienced British solar PV company, we welcome the opportunity to now help UK farmers get maximum return from their property. Through our work with the agricultural and construction industries our dedicated R&D team have developed our ‘Energy Roof’. Solar power is no longer just about bolting a few bulky panels to your roof, it’s a sophisticated, guaranteed, active industrial building product designed to work with your business.”
The average space needed for a solar roof is between 100-200sq m, a typical 60kWp system can produce 51,000 units of electricity a year which is vital for the power demands of today’s farming.
www.solarcentury.co.uk
Notts estate launches new farm walks
ON the afternoon that England made its exit from the World Cup, I was among the country lovers who abandoned their TV sets on what was also the hottest day of the year so far in favour of a leisurely farm walk, writes Janet Richardson.
The Brackenhurst campus of Nottingham Trent University hosted the launch of its walks which have been designed to guide visitors around the 200-hectare estate at Southwell.
There are seven suggested routes covering themes ranging from butterflies and moths to bats, great crested newts and ancient woodland and green lanes. But you can choose your own route by mixing and matching the 25 features, each with its own interpretation board.
I based mine on the agriculture and farm wildlife theme and although I did not see the Estate’s herd of Lincoln Red cattle, there were sheep grazing and some of the horses and donkeys at the equestrian centre.
Owned and managed by
the university, the site with
its mixed farmland is used
to educate more than
1000 students each year in agriculture, environmental, animal and rural
sciences.
This ‘open air’ classroom includes pasture land, crops grown in rotation – mostly oilseed rape and wheat – ancient trackways, ponds and woodland.
Afternoon teas were served on the terrace of Brackenhurst Hall, sponsored by Southwell Co-op and with proceeds of £360 going to the Dean’s chosen charity, the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI). www.ntu.ac.uk
New range of biodegradable products
AN EXCITING range of biodegradable products aimed at protecting the environment has won many new customers for Britain's largest privately owned lubricants company.
Shrewsbury-based Morris Lubricants targeted the Terralus Range of Earth Welfare Products at areas of its market where there is potential for soil or water contamination, including forestry, horticulture and agriculture.
The range covers a wide variety of applications, but all of them are associated with equipment operated in conditions where there is a risk of environmental pollution. The product selection includes hydraulic oils, transmission oils, two-stroke lubricants and cleaning fluids.
Adrian Hill, Morris Lubricants' product and marketing manager, said: "These biodegradable products suit a variety of market sectors where accidental spillage may result in soil or water contamination. We believe, as a company sat in the middle of rural Shropshire, the least we can do is to be thinking about how we can develop our product range to relieve environmental pressure."
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