Solar panels can help agriculture sector cut costs and achieve sustainable farming practices
ANGUS-BASED Forster Group outlines the process of having photovoltaics (PV) installed on-farm and tells the success story of one of its clients.
The firm, which specialises in roofing and solar energy, also has an inhouse skills academy for its modern apprentices which it founded in 2015.
In addition, the business has a regional office in Livingston.
Forster points to falling costs of solar panels, making them the ideal solution for the agri sector, and argues that installing solar panels helps farmers demonstrate sustainability and environmental stewardship to retailers and consumers.
For a farm installation, it says the process usually takes around 10 to 12 weeks from the initial enquiry, but this can vary. A site assessment and design proposal then takes place with a consent application being submitted around week four.
The project is delivered around weeks seven to 10.
One business that installed solar panels is Cookston Farm near Glamis. The 700-acre business has been farmed by the Robertson family for more than 70 years and is now in the hands of the third and fourth generation.
Potatoes are the main crop and at any one time around 3500 tonnes are stored in refrigerated cold stores which require a constant temperature of approximately 2.5 degrees.
David Robertson said:
“We were a bit luckier than some our neighbours as our electricity contract was fixed at 26 pence per unit. But because further energy price increases are inevitable, it made financial sense for us to investigate how to generate our own power from solar panels.
“As a farmer, it’s important for me and for my customers
that we have sustainable farming practices in place and renewable solar energy is an integral part of that.”
The Robertsons had a 68kWp roof-mounted system installed which consists of 168 panels over four arrays and was
completed in March 2023. It is configured so that it can be scaled up to include a battery. However, Forster engineers advise the system should be allowed to bed in for a full year before considering making any additions.
Mr Robertson said: “Actual installation on the roof of the cold stores was very straightforward. It probably took two or three days over the course of two weeks for the job to be completed. The Forster team did everything from carrying out the initial site survey to design and installation.
“Importantly, they are very tidy workers which is pretty important on a farm like ours.”
A monitoring app shows energy use in real time, consumption, and the amount being exported back to the grid.
The farm now uses around 70% of the power it generates, while 29% is exported to the grid.
He concluded: “Because we were lucky enough to be on a low tariff, the payback period for our investment is around six years, which is a little longer than some of our neighbours, who, because they are on much higher tariffs – some as much as 82p/kw – have shorter payback periods of about two years.
“After six years, I can count the electricity generated from my solar panels as free.”