640 kW Lincolnshire arable — rooftop and ground-mount hybrid

Client: 2,200-acre family arable farm Location: North Lincolnshire Vertical: Grain Stores System size: 640 kW (380 kW rooftop + 260 kW ground-mount) Annual generation: 612,000 kWh Annual saving: £94,000 Simple payback: 6.4 years

A 2,200-acre family arable farm in north Lincolnshire with three grain stores totalling 4,500 sqm clear-span roof area, heavy autumn drying load, and 14 acres of marginal pasture unsuitable for cropping. Mixed motivation: grid electricity cost reduction, SFI income diversification, and Tesco supplier audit positioning ahead of contract renewal.

We delivered a hybrid system: 380 kW rooftop PV across two of the three grain stores (the third had a roof condition issue scheduled for replacement in 2027), and 260 kW ground-mount on the 14 acres of marginal pasture with continued sheep grazing under the panels. A 220 kWh battery system supports peak-shaving during the October–November grain drying season.

First-year generation reached 612,000 kWh — within 1% of the PVSyst yield model across all three system components. Self-consumption averages 48% across the year (high during harvest and drying season, lower during summer when crops are in the field). The 220 kWh battery cycles approximately 250 times per year, primarily time-shifting summer generation to support autumn drying peak loads.

Annual savings reached approximately £94,000 in year one — cost avoidance on directly-consumed generation plus SEG export income at 11p/kWh average. Simple payback at 6.4 years; 25-year IRR modelled at 13.8%. The SFI biodiversity bundle now stacks under the ground-mount section, generating an additional £8,500/year in environmental income.

The Tesco supplier audit team referenced the install in renewed contract terms in 2025, citing it as evidence of credible Scope 2 reduction at the producer level. The family’s third-generation operator completed the succession transition in parallel with the install.