On Friday 29 September, the FrieslandCampina Solar Program will start at Trienke Elshof's dairy farm. This means that 2.000 solar panels will be connected. Elshof applauds sustainability, but milking remains the core business.
Elshof milks 240 cows in the Frisian town of Oldetrijne. The company has 115 hectares and an annual electricity consumption of 115.000 kilowatt hours. She is also chairman of LTO-North in the 3 northern provinces. In the future she hopes for a postcode rose scheme, in order to make our own power supply more sustainable. This is a scheme that stimulates the generation of local and sustainable energy.
How is your business?
"Our company was established in the 70s as a result of land consolidation. We milk 240 cows on 115 hectares. The barn has a length of 175 meters. In 2009 the roof was renewed, made asbestos-free and the roof can bear the weight of the panels well. We are also actively involved in landscape management and consider sustainable business operations very important."
You had plans for solar panels before. Why was the installation delayed?
"We already had the opportunity to install solar panels in 2012. But at that time we gave up. Because the business plan did not yet make the large investment and the payback period interesting. You can say that with this Solar Project by FrieslandCampina, current events have caught up with us. Now we are 1 of 310 dairy farmers participating in this project, with a total of 416.000 solar panels."
How can you explain the enormous interest in this project?
"I think the combination of 'big steps' and the unburdening is the reason that so many farmers want to participate in this project. We will continue to pay for the power consumption, but receive an annual fee of €3 to €4 per panel. we don't actually have to do anything, only make the roof available. That's a nice bonus. But even better is the appreciation from the general public, because we as dairy farmers work together to make FrieslandCampina's production chain energy neutral by 2020."
What do you mean by unburdening?
"In the Solar project, FrieslandCampina works together with a specialist in solar energy systems. This company, Groen Leven from Heerenveen, installs the panels, takes care of the connection, monitoring, financing, guarantees and maintenance. will take over both the panels and the SDE+ subsidy from FrieslandCampina. ."
Where will your company be in 5 years? Become an energy supplier?
"In 5 years' time we will still be a dairy farm. That will remain our core business. By then we will be farming with great job satisfaction, we will be in balance with our environment and produce energy in addition to milk. The company is future-proof, so that the next generation can can earn a good piece of bread on it."
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