The Challenge

A family owned poultry farm, Stitches Farm needed to find a renewable energy solution that could meet the high levels of energy required to heat 7 broiler houses, housing over 92,000 birds, whilst reducing their carbon emissions at the same time. In order to remain sustainable in a competitive market, it was also important that Stitches Farm reduce their energy bills as much as possible.

The Solution

After consultation with Environmental Energies, Stitches Farm decided to invest in solar PV technology. Environmental Energies installed two solar arrays that amounted to over 130kW and consisted of more than 500 solar panels. The panels were fixed to existing shed roofs, and were able to provide solar energy to heat the barns directly.

The Result

Stitches Farm’s investment in solar PV technology paid off, and they are now saving in excess of £22,000 a year. This has given them a healthy return on investment of 15%, and has reduced their carbon footprint by 17 tonnes. Following the success of this installation, the farm are now planning to build two more broiler houses powered by solar energy alone.