Transition webinar: Renewable energy key points to consider

Renewable energy can displace fossil fuel use, cutting input costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to a Farmers Weekly Transition project webinar panel.

But with a number of renewables systems and set-up hurdles requiring expert help, how do you start the process?

See also: On-farm renewable energy systems: All you need to know

Where to start

The NFU’s chief adviser on renewables, Jonathan Scurlock, said the first step in any renewables project was to monitor the farm’s energy use to identify areas where efficiencies could be made.

This was important because investments in energy efficiency measures were likely to have the shortest payback time – one to two years, Jonathan said.

Potential savings and income

The next decision is whether energy generation is for on-site use only or for export to other users.

Conrad Energy’s Tim foster said even when planning to export energy it was still better to use as much of the output as possible to offset input costs.

By generating energy you are offsetting costs from an energy supplier of

20p/kWh. Exported electricity will be worth about 10p/kWh. As an example of the output from a 200kW solar array, Tim suggested about 200MWh of electricity a year.

Jonathan estimated that represented a 10-20% return on investment.

Yorkshire-based Transition Farmer Eddie Andrew is targeting zero fossil fuel use within five years for his dairy farm, on-site ice cream parlour and doorstep delivery enterprises.

A 15kW solar array provides energy for the business, but high equipment costs are an issue.

“We have three pickups for the deliveries but can’t find a suitable electric alternative,” said Eddie.

“While I could find a diesel version for sub-£10,000, I can’t get anywhere near that with an electric van.”

Exporting electricity

Grid connection is a limiting factor for anyone looking to export energy and should be factored in at the first stage of planning, the expert panel advised.

Connections to the grid can be limited and there is often a queue of applications.

Solicitor Isaac Murdy at Shakespeare Martineau said it was worth quizzing authorities on available capacity. Sometimes projects get stuck in the queue and take up allocated capacity.

Some authorities are clearing out these so-called zombie projects, so it’s worth asking whether there could be capacity re-entering the system.

Exporting energy

Farms will need to obtain a power purchase agreement from a supplier to sell the electricity produced.

Alternatively, it is possible to sell energy to the local community which may yield better returns.

But renewable energy is an intermittent power source, Isaac said, so if you sell to a neighbour there will need to be a degree of flexibility in the contract, and any contract must cover any issues that might arise.

He added that excavation contractors and cable layers must be qualified.

Depending on the voltage, you may need an independent distributor’s licence and to ensure contractors are qualified independent connection provider.

This a complex area and you would need legal assistance from a firm like Shakespeare Martineau.

Which renewables type

Solar is probably the simplest option to consider for farm businesses, but generation during winter can be limited.

For now, on Eddie’s farm, supply troughs are evened out with power from the National Grid.

Wind power could cover the less sunny months, Jonathan said, with a 30m tall, 50kW turbine being a viable threshold for farms.

Fluctuating power sources can also be moderated using battery storage.

Eddie is also considering wind power and had a survey conducted to identify a suitable site.

To comply with legal distances from other properties there was only one small area on the farm where a turbine could be positioned, he said.

He pointed out that an often overlooked difficulty with turbines is transport to the site. Turbines are so tall that good access is vital.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) systems are capable of generating consistent power. But plant management requires staff input, which should be considered.

Jonathan said payback times on small-scale AD plants were also challenging, because the outlay was proportionally bigger compared with the energy produced.

Watch the full video of the webinar.