Nottinghamshire-based arable farmers, J Bealby and Sons, have a higher electricity expenditure than most as they are required to run a grain dryer to keep its crops in ideal condition so that they achieve the best prices at market.
To offset some of these costs and to reduce the farm’s carbon footprint, Robert Bealby contracted CTS Solar, the renewables division of Commercial Technical Services Ltd to design and install a Solar PV system to fit on top of the of the Grain Store itself.
The grain store’s roof presented a particular challenge to the installers as it was made of fragile corrugated fibreboard. As a result, the whole works were planned over a two week installation period to take account of the specific Health and Safety requirements of the project.
After consultation with CTS Solar, Bealby opted to fit Sharp Polycrystalline modules alongside SMA inverters to provide the grain store with carbon-free energy.
Paul West, Solar Projects Manager at CTS Solar said: “with the significant drops in stock prices over the last few months combined with the new planning guidelines, we have seen a significant growth in interest from the farming sector. The lower capital costs for a 50kWp system have made Solar PV a more attainable proposition.”
