Farmers across Northern Ireland will be able to harness the power of the sun to slash their energy costs.
Nothern Ireland Electricity (NIE) has launched a new grant scheme
(The NEW NIE Farm Solar Water Heating Scheme ) to support farmers who want to install solar heating to help manage their demand for hot water.
The Grant Details
The NIE SMART Programme funding will offer successful applicants a grant for solar water heating of
- £900 for a 1 wash system (up to 300litres of water) and
- £1,100 for a 2 wash system (over 300 litres of water)
- Or an overall maximum of 25% of the installed costs, whichever is lesser.
The NIE SMART Farm Solar Water Heating Grant is a limited offer and is available only on a 'first come, first service' basis.
Case Studies
Below is a case study for farmers who may be wondering what benefits a solar hot water system could bring to their farm.
Thermomax Solar Hot Water Panels on your Farm
MrJohn O’Toole is the owner of a milking parlour who recently had a six square meter Theromomax solar vacuum tube system fitted at its plant, with the objective of heating its water, and utilising it to clean the milking equipment and milk storage tank. John O’Toole, owner of the milking parlour explains his decision to have the new system installed, and what was involved with the installation: “Currently we house a 9000 litre milk storage tank that is in operation daily. It is essential that both the tank and the equipment are cleaned thoroughly with hot water. We previously heated our 500 litre water tank using a water heater but in an effort to save money and be more environmentally-friendly we looked into solar powered heating alternatives.
Having spoken with a few companies , we were impressed by the innovative technology available from Thermomax Solar Panels and intrigued on the benefits that could be achieved through introducing a solar system. “The Thermomax system was installed in less than two days and it has been an extremely smooth transition, with minimal disruption to day-to-day operations. Since the introduction of the new solar tubes, we have already witnessed substantial payback; not only in reduced heating costs, but also in the time it takes to heat the water, saving us an extra valuable hour per day. I did have reservations about the system operating in the Irish climate but I have been happily proved wrong. Since the system was installed it has been reliable everyday and on the rare occasion that the weather is particularly bad, then we have the water heater to subsidise our hot water requirements.”
How the Technology Works
Then we asked Mr Alan Hogan, All-Ireland Sales Director from Kingspan Renewables to explain how a Thermomax system works: “Solar thermal energy transforms direct and diffused solar radiation into useful heat using a solar collector. Each solar collector consists of a highly insulated manifold and a row of solar tubes. The vacuum inside each tube provides perfect insulation and therefore protects the system from outside influences such as cold and windy weather or high humidity. The vacuum technology ensures the most effective transfer of energy into heat, giving extra performance in comparison to traditional flat plate collectors and providing heat not only on warm, sunny days, but also in cooler, windy or humid conditions.
Case Study 2: Greenmount Campus is heating water with solar thermal Panels
At Greenmount Campus, part of the College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) in Northern Ireland, they have been using solar thermal panels to heat parlour wash water since October 2009.
A 20sq m array of solar tubes, fitted to a frame and angled at 40deg, was installed next to the dairy. Water passes through the tubes, where the sun raises its temperature from a typical ambient figure of 10C to 20-80C (depending on the time of the year). This means the electric heater in the 1200-litre (260gal) water tank doesn't have to work as hard to get it up to the 85C required.
The dairy needs 360 litres (80gal) of water to be heated up to 85C twice a day. Before the solar tubes were installed, that meant a daily electricity consumption of 48kWh. Over the course of a year that adds up to 135kWh (costing £15) for each cow.
Instead of the 48kWh of electricity used each day before the new system was installed, power consumption with the solar panels in use was just 6.5kWh in May, 7.2kWh in June, 11.4kWh in July, 10.7kWh in August and 9.7kWh in September.
Averaged over the five-month period, electricity consumption was a fifth of what it would previously have been.
What to do Next
Thus a solar installation for farmers in Northern Ireland it is a more viable proposition than ever before. If you would like more information or to obtain a quote for your grant application please contact nutech renewables Ltd
