Woodlands Farm - Lincolnshire

Former Radio 4 Farmer of the Year Andrew Dennis is something of a celebrity in farming circles. He is the fourth generation of his family to manage Woodlands Farm at Kirton, Lincolnshire, an organic and biodynamic mix of arable crops, sheep, cattle and horticulture.The farm is open for visitor days and schools, is heavily involved in the local community and arts, and runs a box scheme to deliver fresh, seasonal produce to homes across Lincolnshire and the East Midlands.Sustainable, low-impact living is high on the Woodlands Farm agenda, so renewable energy was an excellent fit. Andrew commissioned EvoEnergy to install 560 solar PV panels on the roof of the farm’s packing shed. The power they produce – up to 118,000 kWh of electricity a year – will power the cooling and refrigeration systems, making the packing and storage facility self-sufficient.Andrew decided to have solar panels installed as part of his commitment to cutting carbon emissions, but has found the system brings a financial reward too. He’s paid for all the electricity the panels produce, with any surplus sold back to the grid.‘I was keen to have them for philosophical reasons,’ he says. ‘It is a very good fit with what we are trying to do on the farm. But it is also a good investment. The system should produce a financial return of around 12% a year. When you consider what you would get if you put the money into a deposit account, that’s an important factor.’