Modelling solar photovoltaic systems on dairy farms for cost savings and GHG emission reduction

Rising on-farm electricity demand, coupled with surges in electricity prices, has increased costs associated with milk production. Additionally, the use of grid electricity with a high carbon footprint depreciates the environmental performance of dairy farming. We assessed the potential of photovoltaic (PV) systems installed on dairy parlours under different policy incentives to reduce electricity costs and the carbon footprint of dairy farms in Ireland. The HOMER Pro software was employed to model electricity consumption, generation and economic performance of four 15-year PV project scenarios for 11 Irish farms. Scenarios considering the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme II (TAMS) and the microgeneration support scheme are assessed. The results show that PV systems are a feasible option to power dairy farms when current energy prices and inflation rates are applied. Small systems eligible for TAMS grants presented an average discounted payback period of 5 years, making them a better option for farmers than larger projects, which had an average payback period of 8.5 years. The deployment of PV systems reduced the GHG intensity of electricity consumed at the farms by up to 29 %.