Mill Farm, Lincolnshire

Key stats

• Sector: Agriculture
• Installation size: 253 kWp
• Annual generation: 191.5 MWh
• Annual savings: £34,000
• Annual CO2 reduction: 38 tonnes
• Return on investment: 3-4 Years

The challenge: A potato farm wanting greater control over energy costs

Coggon Bros Ltd, Mill Farm, is a potato farm in Lincolnshire, producing approximately 5000 tonnes of potatoes every year. Between September and October, the farm harvests potatoes, which are stored in energy intensive cold storage before being graded and bagged. The farm uses electricity to power machinery, forklifts and vehicles throughout the year.

Wanting greater control over their rising energy costs, John Coggon, Director of Coggon Bros Ltd, chose Good Energy Solar to install 47kWp of solar panels in 2019. Then upon completing an extension to the farm in 2024, they chose Good Energy to install an additional 206kWp solar array.

The Solution: A 253kWp optimised solar array, partly funded through the Farm Productivity Grant

Good Energy Solar helped John at Coggon Bros Ltd to check whether his solar installation would be eligible for grant funding – which it was. The Farm Productivity Grant covered £20K of the cost of the solar array which was paid after completion.

Good Energy worked closely with John between the initial installation in 2019 and installation of their larger solar array in 2024 to ensure the design was fully optimised to their needs and primed for fast return on investment in just 3-4 years. As well as saving over £30,000 in their annual energy bills, the farm saves around 38 tonnes of carbon a year too.

Coggon Bros Ltd sell the small amount of power they export to Good Energy, helping to power other businesses and domestic customers.

“My message to other farms considering solar panels is don’t hesitate – particularly if you have energy-intensive machinery and operations like we do. Access to grant funding helps smaller farms, such as ours, become more sustainable and viable. This makes essential food production ever more efficient and kinder to the environment too. Solar energy is a great addition to any business, helping to reduce energy costs and lowering their carbon footprint, so even without a grant, installing solar energy should be seriously considered”.
John Coggon, Director of Coggon Bros Ltd at Mill Farm.