Farmers flock to Glastonbury to see new solar barn

18th November 2010

Farmers flock to Glastonbury to see new solar barn

Farmers are queuing up to see Glastonbury’s new solar barn, hoping to replicate the installation on their own properties, and on Tuesday Farming Futures helped 80 of them do just that.  Glastonbury Festival organiser Michael Eavis has just installed a large 200kWp system on the roof of the ‘Mootel’; the cattle shed where his dairy cows are housed during the Festival. Eavis' solar array is the largest on the roof of any farm building in the UK, and showing the way for farm diversification across the country. Over 80 visited the farm on Tuesday for a Farming Futures workshop aimed at helping farmers understand how to upgrade their building with solar and more events are planned.

Ben Tuxworth, from Farming Futures, said, “We’ve had to turn over 100 farmers away from this event, which shows that there is a real appetite for investing in on-farm solar technology. According to our 2010 survey, twice as many farmers are generating renewable energy (15%) compared to last year. We expect that trend to continue and believe that on-farm solar PV will become commonplace in the not-too-distant future.”

Solar technology is causing a buzz in farming circles because a new financial incentive, the feed-in tariff (FIT), from Government means it offers a secure return on investment. It’s also low maintenance, long lived and has little visual impact. Solar barns are now increasingly commonplace across Europe, in countries where FITs have been in place for a number of years. With over 100 planning applications for schemes in Cornwall alone, it seems many farmers are interested in investing in this technology.

The agricultural sector manages 75% of the UK’s land and has access to large roof space in accessible and open locations, ideal for solar PV.  The Government has been taken by surprise by the number of farmers also interested in siting PV installations in fields or on unplanted areas. As well as being a good business opportunity, renewable electricity generation contributes to energy security and reduces greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change.

A typical solar array for a barn roof will cost £70-80k, generate about 20,000kWh/year, and earn about £6.5k/year. It will need an area of 150-170m2 to mount 130-140 panels on a south facing roof giving a payback of 10-11 years and an ROI of 7-11%. 

Paul Cottington of the National Farmers Union was speaking at the Farming Futures workshop.

He said “South West farmers are at the forefront of the renewable energy agenda in the UK and solar PV is a positive business opportunity. We’ve had an unprecedented volume of interest in this issue, and are helping farmers understand the benefits and risks of entering into contracts with developers.  It’s an area where professional advice is essential.”

Dr. Jonathan Scurlock, Head of Renewables, the National Farmers' Union added, "Agricultural and horticultural buildings present ideal platforms for solar PV, and small-to-medium sized roof-mounted systems are likely to be an attractive investment. The NFU is also interested in exploring the more challenging opportunities for combining large-scale solar arrays with agricultural production or environmental land management, subject to the planning process and consultation with near neighbours over minimising and mitigating any local visual or landscape impact."

Speakers at the Farming Futures workshop included Paul Cottington (NFU), Juliet Davenport (Good Energy), David Hawes (Triodos Bank), Adrian Lea (Cornwall Council), Kerry Burns (Solarsense), Sonya Bedford (Stephens Scown Solicitors) and Daniel Davies (Solarcentury).

-ENDS-

All media enquiries to Charlotte Webster on 07990 583307.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Farming Futures

In February 2010, one in three farmers surveyed in England as part of the Farming Futures project said they were already affected by climate change and half expect to be affected in the next 10 years. 48% of surveyed farmers said they were taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their farm.

Farming Futures provides inspiration and information for farmers and land managers via fact sheets, case studies and practical, on-farm events.

Farming Futures is an industry-led collaborative project between Forum for the Future, NFU, CLA, AIC, AHDB (on behalf of the agricultural and horticultural levy boards), FWAG LEAF, and Defra to communicate practical action on climate change. Farming Futures is funded by Defra’s Farming for the Future Programme and Act on CO2 until March 2011.

www.farmingfutures.org.uk