Dairy farmer takes advantage of wind to control costs
by Tony Carver
February 12, 2009
Spiralling electricity costs coupled with a desire to make use of a natural resource of the farm has resulted in John Hudson of The Hole Farm, Halfway House, Shrewsbury installing a 15kW wind turbine.
Situated in an area with plentiful wind, the grid connected wind turbine will contribute positively to the demands of the dairy unit and farm house with any surplus energy being exported to the grid.
The turbine is the latest of the installations undertaken by West Midlands based firm, Natural Energy. Natural Energy is a trading name of Carver Knowles, a firm with a long history in the rural sector which is now setting out to help farmers control energy costs whilst contributing positively to the thrust of government policy.
Rural businesses, including farmers, in the West Midlands are particularly fortunate to be in an area where there is currently positive support in the form of grant funding of up to 50% depending on eligibility criteria. Such funding has been an important element to Mr Hudson’s decision to proceed with the turbine installation.
The wind turbine at Hole Farm has been supported by a funding scheme known as RE:think Energy which is managed by the Marches Energy Agency and funded through Advantage West Midlands.The scheme enables SMEs to capitalise on opportunities to install renewable energy technologies as well as provide openings for business within the Rural Regeneration Zone through the manufacture, supply and installation of renewable technologies and services.
The turbine is relatively new technology manufactured by the long established firm Proven Energy based near Glasgow in Scotland. In most cases such installations require a three phase supply to the property, but in this case it is tied to a single phase supply with the agreement of Central Networks, the District Network Operator.
Natural Energy is currently handling more than 50 such installations in the West Midlands, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset and as far a field as Cumbria, Anglesey, West Wales.