Can renewables benefit your farm or estate?
No rural business or homeowner will have escaped the impact of the surging cost of energy even as governments across the world have been forced to step in to cap electricity and gas costs.
In the past, renewable technologies such as wind, solar and hydro were heavily subsidised in the UK by the government to help reduce the country’s reliance on fossil fuels. The subsidies, such as the Renewable Heat Incentive and Feed-in Tariffs, may have gone, but the opportunity to access cheap energy means renewable energy systems make more sense than ever.
For farming businesses solar is often the best option.
Even though planning consent for ground-mounted solar farms is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain on agricultural land, farms generally boast large barns whose rooftops can accommodate a large array of panels. These can either be funded directly by the business or via schemes that see the cost of the panels fully funded by the installer. They in return takes the electricity generated, while providing the farm with its energy requirements at a much lower rate than is available on standard tariffs. A recent announcement by the government suggests that the effective moratorium on on-shore wind farms could soon be reversed. This offers opportunities for landowners who have either the capital to build their own schemes or prefer to rent their land to a specialist operator.
Knight Frank’s renewable energy experts can help with all aspects of a scheme, from planning to funding and negotiating the best terms with renewable operators who want to rent land for wind or solar projects.
Our Partnership with Zestec Renewable Energy
As part of its commitment to supporting clients towards net zero, Knight Frank has teamed up with Zestec Renewable Energy (Zestec), a company 100% owned by funds managed by Octopus Energy Generation, to provide clients with a zero-capital outlay solar PV solution to reduce their energy bills and support ESG objectives.
Zestec’s business model allows businesses to benefit from cheaper, greener power generated from their own land and roofs without having any capital outlay for the solar array. Via a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), Zestec manages the development and ongoing maintenance of these solar assets. Clients simply benefit from significantly reduced power bills and reduced carbon emissions.
