Farm In Yarcombe Receives Asset Finance For PV Installation.
For most people, the beginning of a new year means it's time to begin planning a sunny getaway. But thanks to a brand new 90KW solar PV installation, A&S Barnes & Sons of Stopgate Farm in Yarcombe are doing a different kind of sun-seeking.
The solar system was installed by Bristol-based solar specialists Your Power. And thanks to Lombard, the asset finance arm of RBS, Stopgate's switch to the sun hasn't dented their operational budget.
Nick Spicer, Operations Director at Your Power, explains:
"Despite the many benefits of installing a solar system "“ such as dramatically reduced energy costs, income from selling energy to the National Grid and the ethical boost of creating green energy "“ the initial financial outlay of a PV system deters some businesses. Using Lombard's finance allows Stopgate to fast-track their way to the benefits of solar while offsetting their loan repayments against the savings on energy costs."
Stopgate Farm is owned by A&S Barnes and Sons. They farm 400 acres and the PV installation has been designed to meet their business model and various operational needs. That includes power for drying grain in the summer months as well as lighting for buildings housing livestock.
Bobby Barnes of Stopgate Farm, comments:
"Turning to solar PV power generation seemed the obvious thing to do for our business. Our farm requires a secure supply of electricity that is not at the mercy of potential power shortages to enable us to go on delivering for our customers. The fact that we get additional steady income as well is a bonus. Your Power have been superb throughout. They designed our array to fit our roof space and needs and the installation was quick and easy with excellent after care. It was helpful that they are the South West partner for Lombard, who arranged our funding deal to enable prompt purchase of the system. Now we are harvesting in more ways than one!"
Stopgate also service and repair farming machinery for around thirty other local farms, providing a valuable service for the local agricultural community and economy. Surplus energy generated by the solar system will be sold back to the National Grid, giving Stopgate an additional income stream.
Rachael Bannerman, Relationship Director at Lombard, said: "Our specialist teams work with businesses from a variety of sectors, including agriculture and renewable energy. One of the keys to what we do is finding the right solution to meet an individual customer's needs. In this case, we had previously provided a range of farm machinery via asset finance and were more than happy to work with A&S Barnes & Sons again to understand what they wanted and deliver it for them."
Your Power is Lombard's south west regional partner.
