Farmers and landowners in the South West should think about the opportunities being presented with the growth in renewable energies.
Sonya Bedford, Head of Renewable Energy at Stephens Scown, says as fossil fuels get more expensive and renewable energy gets cheaper, people could earn an extra income off their land, “It’s a very sensible thing to do, especially when subsidies are looking more uncertain with 2012 looming.”
The main forms of renewable energy are wind power, hydropower, solar energy, biomass, biofuel and geothermal energy.
She adds; “Renewable energy’s ideally suited to rural areas and if you’re looking to diversify, mitigate climate change and earn an extra income then it may be the way forward. This is a development area that landowners can explore very seriously.”
Once the renewable infrastructure is built, the wind and sun and the earth itself provide fuel that is free, in amounts that are effectively limitless.
Sonya says, “Wind turbines are now a much more common sight than they were and wind power operators are on the look out for more land that’s suitable. Landowners have an opportunity to earn additional income for each turbine they have on their land and can provide landowners with a regular income, generally for no additional labour or expense, usually for a period of 25 years or more.”
The arrival of feed-in tariffs means there is in the next few years an opportunity for profit to be made by generating electricity through photo-voltaic (PV) panels on barns/houses or commercial building roofs – the same can be said for wind turbines.
She adds, “Increased electricity generation also means more farms and estates can be completely self reliant when it comes to their energy needs.”
For more advice, contact Sonya Bedford on 01392 210700 or email s.bedford@stephens-scown.co.uk
