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Know How / Farm energy

Get advice on diversifying into the farm energy sector or using farm-generated renewable energy to cut energy costs. Find out how to maximise anaerobic digestion (AD) plant performance, lease land for battery and generator sites, and grow crops for the biofuels market.

Practical advice

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FARM ENERGY

Wind turbine exclusivity agreements – what to watch out for

Onshore wind turbine developments have been all but prohibited for almost a decade due to the restrictions imposed by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). A recent amendment to the…

FARM ENERGY

On-farm renewable energy systems: All you need to know

The case for investing in on-farm renewable energy has arguably never been stronger. Fuel prices soared in the past 18 months, driven by the effect of the conflict in Ukraine,…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: What are the premiums for battery storage?

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Alex Ireton, a surveyor with Carter Jonas, sets out some considerations for battery…

FARM ENERGY

Experts outline on-farm renewable energy options

Renewable energy has become a popular on-farm solution for cutting emissions and reducing bills from mainstream suppliers. So what are the options for renewable energy use on farm? In the…

DIVERSIFICATION

Renewable energy investment: What to expect and what to avoid

Producing clean electricity is predicted to one day outstrip rural tourism as a secondary income for UK farms. Interest in investing in renewables or leasing sites to developers is high,…

FARM ENERGY

4 ways dairy farmers can cut energy costs

With energy costs having quadrupled in the past year, it is little surprise that more farmers are carrying out energy audits to identify how they can make savings. The NFU…

Case studies

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DAIRY

Robot dairy saves £30k with custom microgrid system

A robotic dairy farm, currently producing 97% of its power needs through solar panels, is entering the third stage of energy profiling to optimise its own self-contained energy system or…

DAIRY

How dairy’s solar fence captures energy at peak demand

At Kilmeaden Farm in County Waterford, cows graze either side of a 150m fence that runs north to south the length of one of David Foran’s fields. This is no…

MACHINERY

NI farm transforms slurry and food waste into bio-LNG fuel

A multi-million pound diversification project has allowed an enterprising dairy farm to convert slurry and food waste into biofuel, as it looks to tap into the growing market for renewable…

LIVESTOCK

Farmer's engineering skills make farm net energy producer

A mechanically minded Yorkshire farmer has made the family farm a net electricity producer by capitalising on tariffs and applying his engineering skills. Former oil industry engineer and mixed farmer…

DAIRY

How a dairy is harvesting methane to save on diesel costs

Dairy farmers Kevin and Kate Hoare are mitigating the effects of soaring diesel prices by running a tractor on methane harvested from the slurry pit. Trenance Farm in Cornwall was…

DAIRY

Dairy wins sustainability award and reduces energy costs

Buckwell Lodge Farm won VetPartners dairy sustainability award this year for its work on improving genetics, cow health, grassland and soil management. Father and son team, Marcus and Sam Hunt,…

Insights

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BUSINESS

What opportunities does new biomass strategy offer farmers?

The area of land devoted to perennial biomass crops has remained stubbornly low, despite an aspiration to increase the use of home-grown biomass in the power, heat and transport sectors…

FARM ENERGY

Why England’s onshore wind planning rules need reform

Onshore wind is a low-cost and efficient technology that is well-suited to the UK, given it is one of the windiest countries in Europe. The cost of installing turbines is…