When mother and son duo, Betty and Mark Whitton, decided to take
charge of energy management on their farm by installing solar power
modules, there was only one place to turn: Schott Solar.
After visiting a family property in Bavaria that already benefits
from photovoltaic panels, they were convinced of the advantages of
domestic solar energy and were keen to capitalise on the roof space
afforded by a storage barn on their property, Manor House, in
Glinton, Peterborough.
“Mark was quite adamant that he wanted Schott panels used in the
project, over any of the other options,” said Mark Cawood, of Cawood
Electrical, who installed the system. “As Germany has such a long
history within the renewable energy market, it made sense to use
products from a German-based manufacturer and we were more than
happy to go along with this decision as we’ve always had an
excellent experience of working with Schott products.”
Forty-two photovoltaic panels were fitted in three rows of 14,
supplying energy to the barn itself and feeding power back into the
main farmhouse. Mark specified the SCHOTT POLY® 220 module for the
project, as it offers exceptional levels of durability and
profitability, is MSC accredited and was available quickly and in
the right size for the build.
Sam Waxman, of Waxman Energy, who distributes Schott Solar products,
said: “The POLY 220 was perfect for this project as it has a high
energy yield that is just right for the customer’s needs. Also,
although the barn in this case is used to store fertiliser and
mechanical farm equipment, the POLY 220 has undergone rigorous
toxological testing to ensure it can withstand exposure to chemicals
such as ammonia, which is often present in farm buildings used to
house animals.”
Specifically designed for both roof and ground mounted applications
the POLY 220, like all Schott polycristalline modules, is
exceptionally durable and long lasting – offering a sustainable
energy solution. The high performance output results in a quick
return on investment and Schott Solar offers a power output
guarantee of 25 years, together with a product warranty of five
years.
Installation took place in just over one week during the summer and
Betty and Mark are extremely pleased with the results. “The output
from the panels has exceeded our expectations,” said Mark. “They
produced just over 2000 KWh during the first two months, which was
really good considering the weather in August and September was
below average.”
With the introduction of the Government’s Feed-In-Tarrifs, or FITs,
which came into place on 1st April 2010 and incentivise the
deployment of small to medium PV scale installations, more and more
businesses, communities and individuals are taking steps to produce
their own low carbon electricity.
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