How battery storage improved profits for Suffolk farmer

The case for investing in on-farm renewables has never been stronger as the UK grapples with rising energy prices and the threat to energy security prompted by conflict in the Middle East.

Having the capacity to keep important infrastructure like roller shutter doors, diesel pumps, automated gates and camera systems operational during a power outage is crucial.

At College Farm, near Ipswich, Suffolk, arable farmer William Barnes installed an RI-ENERGYSET-3P-ESS-50-107 battery storage system earlier this year, a financial outlay that followed his investment in two, 30kW photovoltaic rooftop arrays. For him, battery storage was the logical next step.

Picking the right system

The RI-ENERGYSET system he opted for is manufactured by Rayleigh Instruments and has a 50kW output inverter and a total storage capacity of 107kWh.

A critical factor in the choice of system for College Farm was a high thermal load, as heating for both the main farmhouse and an annex is generated by heat pumps, requiring a system that is capable of handling high-surge currents and sustained winter loads.

By storing solar energy generated during the day but which isn’t used, William can utilise this energy reserve during periods of peak demand.

The RI-ENERGYSET battery allows him to reduce his dependence on grid electricity and make the most of his own solar PV system.

Instead of exporting unused electricity back to the grid, William can store it for his own use; giving greater control over energy consumption, and lower his energy bills by not using grid electricity when prices are at their highest.

His purpose in going down the battery storage route was not only to reduce energy bills but also to maintain a power source during outages.

Store it for when you need it

RI-ENERGYSET has emergency power supply capabilities, which means stored energy can be accessed during a power cut – the backup reserve of 50kW/107kWh keeps everything that relies on electricity going in a blackout.

This reserve allows the heat pumps at College Farm to remain operational during a grid failure while still leaving substantial capacity to capture and store excess solar PV generated energy.

The RI-ENERGYSET system is modular too therefore if his energy needs grow, William can increase storage capacity. 

The rooftop solar arrays and the battery storage system were both installed by Essex-based Solar Green.

Managing director James Fordham says a full and thorough survey of the site was first undertaken together with an analysis of the requirements.

Among the multiple reasons James recommended the RI-ENERGYSET-3P-ESS-50-107 for College Farm was the high electrical demand of those heat pumps and William’s desire to maximise solar yield.

“The Rayleigh Instruments 107kWh system was the technically superior choice for this,” says James. “It offers the specific headroom needed to maintain heating during outages without sacrificing daily solar savings.”

An Excellent match for solar storage

The RI-ENERGYSET-3P-ESS-50-107 is part of the growing range of Rayleigh Instruments renewable energy products, an “all-in-one” battery and inverter alternative to bulky ‘lorry container’ type battery energy storage solutions (BESS).

It offers the benefit of a more manageable size, future scalability and is a excellent match for farms with DC/AC coupled solar-storage.

No external switching device is required, it has an on/off grid switching-time of 10 milliseconds and support for direct output backup mode. 

The unit supports self-consumption, peak shifting, time-of-use, and battery backup and is pre-configured to charge off-peak and discharge during peak load period as well as charging from excess PV generation that would normally have been exported back to the grid. 

James also wanted a system to monitor the battery status, track solar generation and not interfere with older inverters.

Keeping an eye on your energy usage

Rayleigh Instruments has also developed rayleighconnect, a scalable building energy management system ideally suited to the needs of College farm.

Being able to remotely monitor energy usage and to hold that data in the Cloud to be accessed at any time, from anywhere, made that goal “effortless”. 

“Think of it like Android versus Apple: Rayleigh is open and brand-agnostic, working with whatever legacy setup there is on the farm.

“A simple generation meter brings all the solar and battery data into one App.,” James explains.

“If a farmer is converting farm buildings into commercial lets for example, rayleighconnect turns a solar array into a revenue stream as the platform features automated monthly self-billing which allows the landlord to sell generated solar power directly to tenants without administrative headaches.”

It is a built-in feature designed to grow if and when a site expands.

Automated controls puts your system to work

The rayleighconnect automated control features puts renewable energy straight to work, James points out.

“It can be set to trigger electric gates, run security lighting, or power up fans when temperature and humidity spike – or simply whenever solar panels are producing at peak capacity. It opens up a whole world of different options for farmers when they are using the Rayleigh system.”

James had presented William with two options for battery installations, the  RI-ENERGYSET proving to be a much more cost effective solution than the competitor system.

“It was a significantly better deal buying the Rayleigh system for what you get and how much you pay – it is basically a building management system integrated into having batteries and solar,” says James.