Farm energy


Farmers plug into renewable energy generation


• More farmers choose renewable energy • Lower cost makes technology attractive • Planning problematic on protected land


armers and landowners are taking a fresh look at renewable energy in a bid to maximise returns from avail- able assets.


F Low-carbon renewable energy


schemes, such as solar electricity, biomass generators or wind tur- bines, have seen signifi cant up- take in recent times and contin- ues to be an attractive choice for generating additional income.


Last year, a top quality pellet heater, of the quality a heating engineer would fit in HIS house, would have been £1800 . We have two such stoves for under £1200 and £1320. Fully automatic, highly efficient and clean, and MUCH better than log stoves. Ideal room heaters.


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Promising figures Renewable energy is the second- most popular form of diversifi ca- tion, according to Defra’s most re- cent Farm Business Survey, with 23% of businesses generating


green energy. And this trend is expected to continue. Defra’s survey revealed that around half of livestock farms (49%) planned to carry out a ma- jor change to the business in the next two years. For those plan- ning a change, the most common reason given was to increase prof- itability (67%). And diversifi cation is prov- ing to be a crucial crutch in try- ing times. Total income from di- versifi ed activities in 2015/16 was £580 million, a 9% increase from the previous year (£530m). Those farms generating renew- able energy generated 9% of their total income (£60m of £650m) from these activities, compared to 6% in the previous year. On average, renewable ener- gy generated £13,700 per farm in 2015/16.


Regional trends “Diversifi cation is very much sought by farmers to try and de- risk from just producing arable crops or livestock,” says Shrews- bury-based Rob Matthews, from farm energy insurance special- ists Lycetts. “Renewable energy is a popu-


Solar has seen the strongest growth, says Rob Matthews


lar choice for farmers to branch out for several reasons. Originally the government incentive sparked


• Auto-feed straw fuelled biomass boiler • Auto ash removal


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NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH New generation of U


K farm support should be restructured in a way which encourages the sus-


tainable growth of renewable en- ergy because biomass can deliver genuine greenhouse gas savings, says a report.


Bioenergy from biomass and


waste already plays a signifi cant role in delivering low-carbon heat, power and transport fuels in the UK, argues to the paper – pub- lished this summer by the Ener- gy Technologies Institute (ETI). The report includes an ETI analysis which consistently high- lights the continued importance of developing the on-farm bioen-


ergy sector to deliver cost-effec- tive emissions reductions across the energy system. Until recently, bioenergy pro- duction has been dominated by waste feedstocks. But demand has risen for more sustainable UK- grown and imported biomass to meet emissions reduction targets. The report says more energy crops should be planted to increase sup- plies of UK-grown biomass.


Greater area The ETI has worked on a number of projects to develop a better un- derstanding of how much sustain- able biomass could be produced in


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