The solar panels make more in one year than 30 bullocks would make in five

Lightsource bp solar farm landlord Stephen Campbell has recently been featured on Independent.ie’s Farming section, speaking about his experience leasing 30 acres of his land to us for a solar. Mr Campbell now uses half of his land at Lough Road for solar, receiving quarterly rent that has allowed him to expand his herd of cattle and even take a new plunge into sheep farming, grazing below the solar panels.

Speaking to Andrew Hamilton at Farming Independent, Mr Campbell said, “To be honest, I saw it as a good opportunity to build a pension for my retirement. It was a stable long-term investment and it made a lot of sense to me. I’m still farming beside it and I’m also farming the land that the solar panels are on. There is a lot of room between the [solar] panels that we can still use. The revenue from the solar has allowed us to add on a bit of land, grow our beef herd and reinvest in machinery. Thirty bullocks wouldn’t make in five years what the panels would make in one. It has allowed me to expand and diversify my income. Lightsource BP did everything, there was no outlay on my part. I had to sign a contract [exclusivity agreement] which gave them two years to apply for planning. After that time I was free to talk to anyone else or to walk away. Another neighbour had already closed a deal with the company and that gave me greater comfort and certainty.”

The full article is available for subscribers to read here. Find out more about how landowners can benefit from a solar farm lease with Lightsource bp.