Solar PV installation helps farm diversify
Solar PV installation helps farm diversify
| 20 year Return | £174,000 |
|---|---|
| Payback | 7 years (14% return) |
| Cost | £50,000 - £100,000 |
| Bill Saving | £2,400 p.a. |
| Income | £6,300 p.a. |
| Carbon Offset | 26,000 Kg p.a. |
Return is calculated using combined bill savings and subsidy earnings. Bill savings are calculated using estimated energy usage and either the electricity price at the time of installation (1 April, 2013) or, for our heating products, the existing fuel type available to the property.
Northfield Orchard Farm, whilst actually using little energy, was very keen to find renewable energy solutions that would help to develop a good, reliable return on its investment.
For the client, the ability to diversify into other areas and find alternative ways of generating income was of particular importance. There was a need to offset the risks associated with their core business and find ways to create more certainty for the future.
Looking at the use of alternative sustainable energy solutions would hopefully contribute to the overall success of the business.
A ground mounted 50kWp Solar PV system with 200 x 250W peak Conergy modules was installed on an area which used to house an old pig unit.
Whilst there were some shading obstacles on the site, including a tree and telegraph pole, the potential impact of these was identified and addressed: The EnergyMyWay engineering team recommended the tree be removed, and Danfoss inverters were selected and configured so as to minimize the effect of the near-shading from the pole.
The engineers’ expertise resulted in the system outperforming the Year 1 yield estimate by 19% – providing over 1,000 units of electricity per installed Kilowatt and generating an additional £1, 450 in revenue and savings.
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