Case Study // Project Overview
Sykes House Farm
Sykes House Farm was founded in the late 60s by Martin Smith and his father and since then has established itself as one of the best-known catering butchers in Yorkshire. Located on a large farm near Wetherby, they are renowned for their premium-quality meats and commitment to sustainability.
Operating as both a family farm and a butchery, Sykes House combines traditional values with modern practices to deliver exceptional products to its customers, which include local residents, restaurants and schools. Their dedication to quality extends beyond their products to their operations, where they continually seek ways to reduce their environmental impact and improve efficiency.
The trapezoidal steel roofed farm buildings provide ample space for installing Solar PV, ensuring optimal energy production without affecting the daily operations of the business. Sykes House Farm has several large refrigeration units on site as well as heavy machinery, used to help the butchering process, operating 24/7 and requiring large amounts of energy around the clock. The energy-intensive nature of the business makes Solar energy highly beneficial, with the potential for significant energy offset during daylight hours.
Challenges
The Solar PV installation took place on an extremely active and busy farm which required careful logistical planning to ensure minimal disruption to the daily operations. The farm's dynamic environment meant that our equipment, vehicles and team members had to be constantly repositioned to avoid interfering with the farm’s activities. Ensuring the safety of workers, farm staff and livestock was a top priority, demanding clear communication and adaptive scheduling.
The existing Solar system we were replacing was tied to a 20-year government tariff agreement, which imposed strict limitations on the amount of power that could be generated in order to maintain the price they were selling back to the grid for. This required precise planning to ensure that the new panels and inverters matched the original system's output, avoiding any breach of the agreement. The team had to meticulously calculate and monitor power input, adhering closely to regulatory guidelines.
KEY STATS
PV system size: 205.95kWp
Number of panels: 334
Annual kWh generation: 165.63MWh
