Temporary Solar Installation Fast Tracks Country Estate’s Transition to Sustainable Operation

Rooftop solar plant installed as a temporary ground-mount solution to power the construction of new refrigerated facilities

Project is expected to pay for itself in just three years and deliver a lifetime ROI of more than 900%

July 10th, 2024 – Yattendon Estate, a diverse farming and property business spanning over 9,500 acres of land in South Berkshire, has commissioned its third SolarEdge solar system in just over a year. The latest installation will be used to power the refrigerated storage facilities and cutting room for the estate’s farm shop – despite the fact that construction of the new building will not be completed until 2026.

With the Estate locked into an expensive energy tariff of 50p per kWh, the owners are on a mission to reduce their reliance on grid-supplied electricity as quickly as possible. For this project, the installer, Your Eco, struck on the innovative idea to install a rooftop solar system as a temporary ground-mount solar solution to power the construction of the new facilities. Your Eco estimates that once the building work is complete, the solar array will be taken offline for approximately one week and moved onto the roof of the building, the labour and materials for which are all factored in to a highly-competitive three year ROI.  

Annually, the new array is forecast to produce 288kWh of clean, renewable electricity, reducing CO2 emissions by approximately 55 tons per year. Your Eco estimates that over the lifetime of the installation, the system is expected to achieve an incredible ROI of 903%.

James Hole, Yattendon Estate Manager, comments: “As a landowner, employer and landlord, Yattendon Estate is committed to ensuring that not only do we run our business profitability, but that we do so in a way that is sympathetic to the environment. Having significantly reduced our energy costs and carbon emissions with our first two solar installations, we were very clear that we wanted to power the new facilities with solar. Thanks to this innovative approach, we have been able to start reaping the benefits of solar even before construction of the new facilities are complete!”

The solar system features 720 solar modules which are transformed into powerful smart modules with SolarEdge Power Optimizers, and three SolarEdge DC-optimized inverters   . Power Optimizers maximise energy production from solar modules by mitigating the impact of shading, soiling and module mismatch which can severely limit production in traditional solar systems. The solution also embeds advanced, inbuilt safety features designed to reduce voltages to touch-safe levels during maintenance and in the unlikely event of an emergency   – both critical considerations for ground mount and rooftop solar arrays.

“This project is a powerful reminder of the financial and environmental benefits that can be achieved with solar energy and that it makes sense to make the switch sooner rather than later. By the time the new facilities are completed, the solar system is expected to nearly pay for itself, as well as offset more than one hundred tons of CO2,” comments Your Eco CEO, Nick Spicer.

True to its commitment to being a good steward, the installation is supported by ballast-filled console buckets, providing a solid foundation without penetrating the grazing pasture. These console buckets will be reused on other sites or sold on once the system is moved to its permanent home.

The estate owners are already looking to further expand the solar infrastructure, which, with the addition of this latest installation, is expected to produce over 1MW of solar power on an annual basis. Notably, last year saw the installation of a 456kW SolarEdge solar system at The Renegade Brewery on the estate, satisfying 40% of the brewery’s high energy demand and advancing its decarbonisation journey.