Nov 11 2010
Market leading PV installers, Solarsense, joined Michael Eavis for the grand unveiling of his 200kWp solar PV installation at Worthy Farm, home of the Glastonbury Festival.
Worthy Farm is currently the UK’s largest commercial solar PV installation. Solarsense managed the installation from the initial planning phase through to the commissioning. It installed over 1,100 PV panels on the famous Worthy Farm “Mootel”, home to the farm’s cows whilst Glastonbury Festival takes place.
On Wednesday (10 November) over 100 journalists and Glastonbury enthusiasts joined Solarsense to watch the project’s official switch-on ceremony. Worthy Farm owner and founder of the Glastonbury Festival, Michael Eavis, laid on music, refreshments and a stairwell to allow guests to visit the Mootel roof and see the panels in place.
Speaking about his solar installation, Mr Eavis commented: “It’s wonderful. We now not only do the best festival in the world, we also have the best solar power system.”
“Worthy Farm is a landmark installation for the UK,” said Kerry Burns, General Manager at Solarsense. “Last year many farmers saw a 7% drop in income as commodity prices fell. But by installing PV onto the roof of outbuildings and barns, farmers can treat solar like another crop – but without all the hard work. Worthy Farm is a great example of what the future holds for the farming community.”
Despite the recent bad weather, Mr Eavis has already generated 40kW of electricity from the installation and is on target to generate enough electricity to provide him with a guaranteed annual income of £60,000 for the next 25 years.