by Jonathan Wheeler
In terms of fossil fuel reduction, general ‘energy hierarchy’ principles (see the graphic below) apply equally to rural businesses and landowners.
It is important for the farm business to understand where and how much energy is being used and where reductions can be made. Measuring energy use is part of the overall farm carbon accounting exercise.
Energy efficiency measures include building fabric improvements (e.g. insulation, draught-proofing, double glazing), installing low energy (LED) lighting, using more energy-efficient appliances/machinery, lagging pipes and using smart devices to minimise energy use.
There are often further energy savings to be found by optimising existing gas/oil boilers, to cut hot water temperatures from 80oC to 60oC or by adding weather compensation in order for boilers to take into account weather conditions. Useful tips for a range of energy efficiency measures based on farm type can be found on the Farm Carbon Toolkit website and the Carbon Trust have a useful guide to Energy Efficiency in Agriculture. Some energy companies also outline a range of energy saving tips (e.g. Octopus Energy).
Energy efficiency measures include building fabric improvements (e.g. insulation, draught-proofing, double glazing), installing low energy (LED) lighting, using more energy-efficient appliances/machinery, lagging pipes and using smart devices to minimise energy use.
There are often further energy savings to be found by optimising existing gas/oil boilers, to cut hot water temperatures from 80oC to 60oC or by adding weather compensation so boilers can take weather conditions into account. Useful tips for a range of energy efficiency measures based on farm type can be found on the Farm Carbon Toolkit website and the Carbon Trust have a useful guide to energy efficiency in agriculture.
The overall trend for energy prices has been upwards over the past 20 years, as shown in the graphics below.
It is interesting to note that the useful asset life of many renewable energy systems, which may have offset some of this cost and cushioned food production businesses from energy price fluctuations, is in excess of this time frame. Such technologies are an important part of the range of decarbonisation tools that farm businesses can access.
There has been a general worldwide shift from coal to gas for energy production to reduce emissions of CO2 and air pollutants. The energy transition is happening as generation moves from centralised to decentralised systems with a commensurate shift from analogue to digital technologies. These conditions help to enable farm businesses to actively and easily manage their energy generation, consumption, carbon footprint and their bills.
Case study
A world first: Wyke Farm’s carbon neutral cheese
In 2010, Wkye Farms, the UK’s largest independent cheese producer, made a commitment to control costs and generate all of their gas and electricity from renewables, spurred on by a ‘huge’ energy bill received one month when the dairy’s power bill jumped £70,000.
This led to the installation of an anaerobic digester system which produces 13,500 m3 of methane daily from cow and pig slurry, saves 20 million kilograms of CO2 yearly and creates digestate for farm use thereby offsetting fossil fertilisers.
The farm business has also installed five solar arrays – and tested the New Holland TG180 – the very first methane tractor prototype ever made for the UK.
But Wyke Farms didn’t stop with energy generation. To implement its “100% Green” sustainability plan, the farm business has worked on further improvements:
- Adjustments to farming practices (feed, land management, energy use, regenerative practices)
- Changes to production systems (heat recovery, waste minimisation, rainwater capture and utilisation, energy reduction)
- Increased conservation (tree planting, wildflower corridors, bird boxes, insect habitats)
A committed sustainability plan and incentive programme is now in place which guides all farm operations and also applies to Wyke Farm suppliers.
Such low carbon initiatives have resulted in the farm’s prize-winning ‘Ivy’s Reserve Vintage Cheddar’ being officially certified as ‘carbon neutral’ by the Carbon Trust in accordance with PAS 2060 – an internationally recognised specification for carbon neutrality.
Richard Clothier, managing director, explains the family’s philosophy of nurturing natural resources: “Living in the heart of Somerset is a privilege. One we’ll never take for granted. We understand this beautiful region gives us so much. So we do everything we can to take care of it. Our goal is to create a sustainable working farm, harnessing our natural resources to source our electricity and gas from both solar and biogas, generated from farm and dairy waste. It’s something our ancestors would be proud of – as well as our children.”