A new report from Solar Energy UK has shown that British farmers successfully diversify their land use by installing solar PV on their country to increase their income.
The ‘Sustainability Report’ of Farming collected 271 answers from farmers, landowners and tenants farmers from the United Kingdom to explore their opinion on solar energy. Due to geopolitical tensions, inflation and the increasing frequency of extreme weather conditions, 31% of the respondents said that their production was below average or very low last year, with another 44% below average or very low income.
37% of the respondents said, however, that they used extra income from solar energy to secure their farms for future generations. Although approximately 60% of the respondents currently had no renewable energy on their agricultural land, 30% of those without solar installations stated that adding solar panels to their farm would enable them to feel an increased level of financial stability and safety.
Barriers and misconceptions
For those who are interested in installing solar energy, there are important barriers; 34% of the inhabitants mentioned schedule connection issues as the biggest barrier for using solutions for renewable energy on their agricultural land, while 20% stated that the planning restrictions were a big barrier for their solar ambitions.
Diversity of land use By installing solar PV can offer an important income flow for farmers, Solar Energy UK notes. The report quotes statistics from the National Farmer’s Union (NFU) who show that a typical farm can expect growing grain crops to produce £ 100 profit per hectare of land, while a long-term lease for a solar installation that is guaranteed to offer payments to the landowner in the region of £ 1,000 per year during a year.
To this end, farmers who have chosen to install Zonne -PV on their country have reported significant levels of satisfaction with their decision. A 500 -hectare farmer said: “I have faith in the future now that I have the extra income of the solar farm. I feel that the future is rosy. We already have 100 hectares of solar energy. Without that I wouldn’t have faith. “
However, the report emphasizes that there are still some important misconceptions for farmers who have not installed solar energy on their country, with a lot of concern about food security, costs and the reliability of solar installations. Solar Energy UK, however, notes that climate change is in fact the greatest threat to British food security, and that reaching the target of the British government of 70 GW installed solar energy by 2035 would take less than 1% of British agricultural land.
In the preface of the report, Solar Energy UK Chief Executive Chris Hewett said: “We believe that the perspectives of farmers are largely missing in the recent national debate on renewable agricultural cars.”
“The report finds that Solar helps to keep their farms viable for many who can diversify. They have more reliable income flows that keep their farms profitable and at the same time protect household food stocks. It is sufficient to say that energy security and food security are not conflicting missions. To reflect the energy secretary, the recent promise of Ed Miliband, we must ‘not continue on myth and false information, but on evidence’ when it comes to solar energy, ‘Hewett continued.
