Solar panels for farms offer a simple way of improving your farm by offering a sustainable energy source that can help power a range of appliances and properties.
The sun has been integral to farming for thousands of years, and now, solar power is being harnessed to help make modern agriculture more efficient, dynamic and profitable. There are many reasons why solar panels in agriculture may be beneficial. Some of the key reasons you may choose to install solar panels for agriculture are that they can help:
As energy prices are rising in the UK, it can be a great benefit to have your own source of energy that is not reliant on the national grid. As an agricultural farm needs a significant amount of energy to run, solar panels for farms can be a fantastic way to lower your overall costs.
Things such as electrical livestock fences rely on electricity to work. In the event of a grid blackout, solar energy can provide you with an alternative source of power.
Solar energy can give you an effective way to operate farming appliances using energy you have generated yourself. This includes everything from heated greenhouses to water pumps and crop sprinklers.
If you use EVs like electric tractors on your farm, solar energy can give you an effective way to charge electric vehicles.
If you have enough space on your land to set up a solar farm, you may be able to sell excess energy back to the grid, creating another source of income.
Ultimately, the choice of solar panels for an agricultural farm will depend on various factors such as location, available space, power needs, and budget.
Typically, agricultural farms will dedicate some of their land to ground-mounted solar panels. These panels can either be fixed or tracked, meaning they can be stationary on their mount or adjust their position to track the sun’s movement, increasing the potential of their energy production.
Ground-mounted solar panels can be installed with the optimal orientation and tilt angle to maximise energy production. They will usually have a small gap between the bottom of the panels and the ground, which helps to reduce solar shading and allow for easy maintenance and upkeep.
Additionally, the land underneath the solar panels can still be used for agricultural purposes if needed. For example, grazing livestock or growing crops, making them a great option for sustainable farming practices.
If you do not have a field to spare, or you prefer to use your existing building structures, Smartly Energy can also help with the installation of solar panels on farm buildings. We could even place solar panels on a flat roof, provided that the structure is strong enough to hold the weight of the solar panels. If you’d like to be quoted for solar panels on your farm buildings, just get in touch with our team and we will take it from there.
Smartly Energy offers a fantastic range of high-quality solar panels for commercial businesses.
Whether you have a smallholding or mega farm, our Smartly Energy solar experts can guide you through the purchasing and installation process to ensure you get exactly what you need.