By now, you’ve probably heard how solar energy is powering our homes and office spaces. But have you considered using renewable energy for your farmland?
Powering your farm through solar energy can be quite beneficial, both for the environment and your bank balance. If you have been on the fence about converting to solar energy, you’re in the right place.
The numerous advantages of solar panels are available to a wide range of sectors, but they can be especially beneficial to farmers. Below, we’ve listed just a few of the biggest reasons why!
1. Diversifies Land Use
Agriculture demands highly efficient use of land, and most farmers can’t afford to let any go to waste. Fortunately, modern solar panel solutions save customers from having to sacrifice the valuable land that would normally be used for grazing or growing crops.
Today, solar panels are designed with dual land use in mind, which means they can be safely grazed by cattle or sheep nearby. Silent and static, they’re unlikely to intimidate animals in the same way that new machines might.
What’s more, the sprawling nature of large agricultural buildings like barns and warehouses makes them a perfect environment for solar panels. As such, some farmers may find they don’t have to dedicate any occupied land to them at all.
2. Not a permanent switch
One main misconception of solar energy is that it is a permanent decision. Yet in most cases, that is simply not true.
Farmers can use solar energy as long as they want to before reverting back to electricity from the grid if they choose to. After an installation process, future crops will not be affected by the are having been used for renewable energy.
Some farmers aren’t interested in permanently converting to solar power, seeing solar energy as a solution to sustaining their farms through the drought. Then, if they decide it’s not for them, they are able to go back to their previous energy supplier.
3. Cost-Effective (And Protects The Business)
Modern farming is incredibly energy-intensive, especially given the scale involved, and the volume of what farmers have to produce. That means that for almost all farmers, energy comprises one of the single biggest costs of running their farm.
There is a huge range of agricultural technologies and appliances that need a constant, reliable supply of energy, including grain stores, dairy units and chicken houses. These are energy-intensive enough to start with, but in recent years farmers have been hit by energy price rises that have taken a serious toll on their business across the country.
Solar panels provide a simple solution to many of these issues. Primarily, they do this by helping farmers to generate their own energy on-site, which reduces their reliance on the National Grid.
This can help save significant amounts on their energy bills and massively reduce business overheads. What’s more, it also future-proofs the farm against current and future energy price rises.
As well as protecting the business financially, it also protects farms against power outages, which can have highly stressful repercussions in terms of caring for livestock.
4. Constant advancements
Like everything in our tech-savvy world, solar panels have developed greatly from their initial state. Now, many solar panels do not feature the glass substrate that the traditional models did.
They can still be installed to roofs and walls, but panels tend to be much more environmentally friendly now. This is due to less energy being used during their manufacturing process. The convenience of installation is one of the major advantages of solar energy.
5. Reduced carbon footprint
The UK’s agricultural industry is under more pressure than ever to curb its collective emissions. Meaning this is the perfect time to make the switch to a more renewable energy source.
While reducing the emissions of any industry isn’t an overnight task, solar panels can certainly help farmers make significant steps towards it. The clean energy generated by solar panels can help farmers enormously in meeting their energy requirements while successfully cutting down on their carbon footprint.
6. Soil becomes a better habitat
Powering through solar energy creates a more habitat-friendly environment for plants and wildlife. Mostly because solar panels are typically surrounded by grasslands.
The installation does not pose any harm or threat to plants and it can be easily maintained through hedging. Additionally, animals are able to have more room to graze through, creating a pasture-like setting.
No animals will be harmed by the above or underground panels.
Our install on a farm in County Monaghan of a 50kW Solar PV system with SOLARWATT glass.
7. The most efficient way to halt global warming
Global warming has been a topic on everyone’s radar for years. Utilising renewable energy is one of the most productive methods of reducing our carbon footprint.
Solar panels produce clean, renewable energy. They can create large amounts of excess energy which can also be distributed to the grid meaning more renewable energy all round.
Curious If Solar Makes Sense For Your Farm?
These are just a few general examples of solar panel benefits for farms. We know that your farm is unique to you; however, we also know that solar power can have loads of additional benefits which are specific to you!
Contact our experts at Solar Power to find out more about the installation.
