Renewable energy schemes help boost farmers' profits

Renewable energy schemes help boost farmers' profits More than a quarter of all farmers have not just green fields but "green" barns too, thanks to a surge in the use of solar panels and wind turbines. "I would encourage as many as is possible to pursue this if they have got the land in the ideal place and access to [electrical] grid connections. NatWest said it was doing all it could to help farmers and growers secure funding for any renewable energy schemes which will help the United Kingdom meet its target of producing 15% of energy from renewables by 2020. More than 50 % of those farmers surveyed by the NFU felt that gaining planning permission was the biggest barrier to renewable energy projects. Yeatman said: "I am a bit of an enthusiast for AD. Owen Yeatman, a farmer with 300 dairy cows in Dorset, said he had steered clear of wind turbines through fear of a public campaign against them, and of solar because the government has changed the subsidy rules too frequently, giving him "cold feet". But he has for the past four years made more than £1,000 a day feeding the local electricity grid via an anaerobic digester (AD) which offers power from cattle manure and other waste products. But Knox says her 1. Caroline Knox, a farmer on the Isle of Wight who grows wheat and peas, is one of the new breed of solar entrepreneurs. The results also showed that a higher proportion of farmers in the south of England (20%) and Wales (21%) were using solar installations, in comparison to the north. It's very complimentary to farming. Renewable energy schemes help boost farmers' profits Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 08/06/2012