Dairy farm solar in Dumfries & Galloway

Dairy, beef and hill sheep

The mild, wet climate of the south-west grows grass well, which is why the Machars, the Rhins and the Stewartry have so many dairy herds. Beef cattle and sheep are found across the region, with hill farms in the Galloway Hills and upland Dumfriesshire.

Cubicle sheds and parlour roofs

Modern cubicle houses and slurry-store covered yards have long, wide roofs. Parlour buildings are smaller but sit next to the heaviest loads. Older dairy buildings may have cement sheet roofs that need a survey and safe working under HSE guidance.

Grid connection in the south-west

Dumfries & Galloway is served by SP Energy Networks. Parts of the region have busy networks, so we check capacity early and design to any export limit.

Dairy loads

Vacuum pumps, milk cooling, plate coolers, hot water for washing, robotic milkers, scrapers and lighting run through the day and make dairy one of the best fits for solar.

Many Galloway farms also have heat recovery units on the milk cooling system, which pre-warm water for washing. We look at how these fit with a solar and battery design so that each piece of equipment runs when power is cheapest to produce on site.