Manage your account
A family-run dairy has launched a six-acre solar farm.
Berkeley Farm Dairy in Wroughton, has switched on a ground-mounted solar PV array that will generate more than 642,400 kWh of renewable electricity each year.
The new installation is expected to reduce the dairy’s carbon footprint by 136,410kg and save nearly £88,000 annually in energy costs.
Read more: New plans submitted as huge £900m development in Swindon progresses
Ed Gosling, senior partner at Berkeley Farm Dairy, said: "We’re growing all the time, selling to shops and restaurants as well as directly to individual customers.
"We used all the electricity the panels generated in its first month, but as daylight hours get longer and we have excess, we are reviewing our ways of working to see how we can best use it.
"For example, we use a lot of energy for cooling and are now looking at pre-cooling 10,000 litres of water during the day using solar-generated electricity and then using that water for cooling milk at night when solar energy production is low but work in the processing unit continues."
The investment was prompted by the surge in electricity prices in 2022.
The Gosling family, which has run the dairy since 1908, wanted to improve energy security and further strengthen their commitment to sustainability.
The site processes around 250,000 litres of organic milk each week.
The dairy already uses electric delivery vans, supplies its organic milk in reusable glass bottles, and maintains permanent pasture to help offset methane emissions from its herd of 150 Guernsey cows.
The solar PV system was designed and installed by SolarSense, an award-winning renewable energy provider based in the South West.
Russell Mees, managing director at SolarSense, said: "Berkeley Farm Dairy is demonstrating how on-site solar generation can deliver real benefits via a single investment, while strengthening their ESG and sustainability credentials."
The SolarSense team conducted detailed site surveys, optimised the system design, supported planning and installation, and provided ongoing maintenance once the system was commissioned.
Mr Gosling said the only "downside" had been the solar farm’s underwhelming start.
He said: "That was a bit of an anti-climax.
"It wasn’t like switching on the Christmas lights which is what we’d all imagined.
"It was more a formal notification to say our panels were now active and producing energy.
"But we were incredibly happy the installation is up and running and we are really excited about the difference this will make to the future of the farm.
"We are expecting payback on the investment in year seven and savings across the 25-year lifetime of the solar panels of some £3.2 million."
Read more: Heartbreak as young Swindon newlywed dies from brain tumour
Berkeley Farm Dairy produces a wide range of organic and non-organic dairy products, including milk, kefir, butter, and cream for consumers and commercial clients across the UK.
It is the sole supplier of 30,000 litres of milk a week to national grocery delivery company Abel & Cole and also produces 65,000 litres of kefir each week.
US private employers added 63,000 roles in February, beating expectations in the best monthly gains since July, according to the private payroll processor ADP.
Teixeira will face Democratic candidate Kristin Hook in the November general election
In today's edition: The World Baseball Classic is here, Miami moves to 30-0, Cards to release Kyler, 100 days out, the Madness before the Madness, and more.
Here's how to watch Chinese Taipei play Australia during the first round of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
As the Trump administration suggests that the process ahead for tariff refunds will be drawn-out and and possibly messy, Democrats are making them an election-year issue.
From Grave Digger plushies to toy trucks, Monster Jam has become a toddler takeover.
If you're looking to pre-order Apple's newest Studio Display XDR monitor today but have an older Mac, beware of some potential compatibility issues.
Nearly 17 months into collective bargaining negotiations that have vacillated between flurries of activity and periods of silence, the dam broke on Tuesday, laying bare the issues that had been rumbling within the WNBPA for months.
Arizona State took full advantage of the incident and entered the locker room with a 20-point lead on Tuesday night.
Watson is due $46 million guaranteed this season whether or not he plays, which gives the Browns motivation to keep him on the roster.
