Marcel Rutte (130) has enough work on his dairy farm with 55 cows. However, this year he managed to tap into an additional source of income. 1.776 Canadian Solar solar panels have made his company more future-proof.
'The solar panels have been in use since 4 June and so far I have already generated a lot of my own electricity', Marcel says enthusiastically. 'According to the calculations, I will be generating a total of 450.000 kWh annually, of which 100.000 kWh will be for my own use. I'm curious how it will turn out.'
Renewal
His farm Nieuw Bakelaar is located in Terschuur, in a nice spot on the edge of the Veluwe. In 2006 it was still a mixed farm with cows and sows, but Marcel and his wife Gonny opted for innovation. In 2007 they built a modern barn with room for 140 cows and accompanying young stock, and numerous choices were made to increase animal welfare. Thanks to extensive automation, Marcel manages to feed and milk his animals daily without assistance.
Milk price
Modernization and more cows on more land were conscious choices. 'The milk price is still the same as forty years ago, so you have to produce more milk to make ends meet. In the meantime, we see the costs rising due to the extra-legal regulations that we have to deal with in the Netherlands. There has been no question of a level playing field in Europe for years.'
Extra income from the sun
Due to the difficult market conditions, the Ruttes, like many other farmers, were looking for additional sources of income. A bed & breakfast was briefly in the picture, but Marcel and Gonny did not want to work even more. Solar panels turned out to be a better alternative, thanks to the ideal combination of sustainability, saving energy and earning money. Marcel: 'The SDE subsidy made the financial picture very attractive. The revenue model was decisive for me, because it is difficult to think green if you are red.'
Energy Shift
After discussions with several suppliers, the dairy farmer opted for Energy Shift† 'I heard positive stories from colleagues and it gave me confidence that this company has been around for more than seven hundred projects successfully completed. My choice turned out well, because the entire process from subsidy to placement went very well.'
Next generation
Thanks to the solar panels, Nieuw Bakelaar is ready for the future. 'The great thing about the solar panels is that they last 25 to 30 years, which gives a certain degree of certainty.' Son Marc (21) is currently at the Higher Agricultural School and is thinking about taking over Nieuw Bakelaar in due course. 'It is important for a sunny future that the milk price increases', emphasizes Marcel. “If it's still the same ten years from now, I don't know what my son is going to do. Our farm is up-to-date and financially sound, but it may be better elsewhere. In the end, it's about being happy.