Solenergi
en lönsam investering för ett lantbruk?
A possible way to reduce pollution and slow down the process of global warming is to increase the usage of renewable energy sources. One of these renewable energy sources is solar power. With the aid of solar panels and solar cells the energy from the sun can be transformed into both heating and electricity. The requirement to use the sun in this fashion is a suitable surface, for example a big roof, an angle between 40-60 degrees and that the surface should be exposed to the south. Almost every farm meets these requirements.
Hence, the aim of this essay is to se if farmers can make an economic profit by using solar panels for heating and/or solar cells for electricity. Interviews have been carried out with farmers to get a foundation for the making of a "model farm". This model farm will then function as a basis for the economic calculations that will answer the question whether it is profitable to use solar energy on a farm or not.
The economic calculations have been made based on interviews with distributors of solar energy. These distributors have given us figures on cost and efficiency of solar panels and cells and also other interesting information that can be useful, such as the expected lifetime and the correct angle that is needed for best result on the solar panels and cells.
The calculation method used in this essay is net present value, as this is a good method to analyze the profitability of a single investment and gives a clear answer to questions like "are we going to invest or not?". Another method used is the payoff-method, which is one of the most common methods used for investment calculation.
Since animals produce heat, the cow house does not need heating. However, the farmers have a need for water heating, which the solar panels could be a solution for. Still, most farmers already have a solution for the heating for water, but for those who don't, solar panels are an excellent alternative, that can save money for the farmer.
Current conditions result in bad profitability for solar cell investments. However, if the recent trends are stable and the price of solar cell energy continues to drop, it will be a profitable investment for farmers in the future.