19 November 2013

2 minute read

Europe

Reeves and Partner dairy farm in Kingsbridge had 100 solar panels fitted by Exeter renewable energy firm Solarlec.

The day-to-day running of the farm requires a huge amount of energy - the milking parlour features a large compressor used to make ice to chill milk and an industrial boiler heats water to clean the parlour - so farmer David Reeves was keen to investigate ways to stay ahead of the game and take control of escalating energy costs.

David monitors the productivity of his system using two inverters which have been installed inside the barn.

He said: "I come in here most mornings on my way to fetch the cows in as it's becoming light - I have a look at how many units we produced the previous day. It's interesting to have an idea throughout the day of how much electricity you're turning out and what you can use at the other end."

"I chose a large system because even during the winter months when we experience fewer hours of daylight I'll still have plenty of power to keep the farm running smoothly. I believe anyone with a bit of spare roof space ought to put some panels up there."

The solar panel system is set to save the farm £51,826 in electricity bills over the next 25 years, with £91,224 to be fed back into the business over the same period through the government's feed-in tariff subsidy scheme.

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