Renewable energy opportunities for dairy farmers

Find out the current state of play in renewable energy generation and which technologies hold the biggest energy efficiency opportunities for dairy farming.

While many farmers have invested in some form of renewable energy, uptake will have slowed down since 2017 because of the conclusion of the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) and reduction in Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) rates. NFU research shows that while there has been significant installation deployment, more than 50% of NFU member holdings have yet to benefit.

Some renewable energy technologies are well established, others are less well-known. However, the improvements in equipment efficiency, reductions in cost and changing market dynamics make them worth considering. 

Solar PV is well established and proven to be financially viable without Government incentives. The best economic return occurs when the generated power can be used onsite, replacing electricity which would otherwise be imported from the grid.

Onshore, small-scale wind generation (<200kW) may well undergo a revival in the short-to-medium term, and can work well alongside solar PV generation.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) may seem complex but it has a lot of potential, including improving the value of slurry. It is currently a favourite of UK Government policy.

A solar thermal system could meet most of your dairy farm hot water requirements during spring and summer, and potentially result in a 50% cost saving across the year.

Heat pumps are set to play a key role as we head towards Net Zero and can provide attractive financial benefits to farmers.

How can battery storage support the use of renewables, how financially viable is it and are there any alternative storage options?