It was the great-grandfather of Nicholas Watts that first moved to Deeping St. Nicholas, Lincolnshire, in 1883.
With his family owning and operating Vine House Farm for over 70 years, it was in the late 90’s that he was first approached by a wind farm developer with the prospect of leasing his land for a small number of turbines.
“Each turbine should produce enough power in a year to power 1000 homes. The wind turbines give about £15,000 pounds to the village each year, and so now the village has had about a quarter million pounds from these wind turbines.”
“The wind turbines take up such little ground and we can farm underneath them. Wind turbines are there. They never need a holiday, they never need a meal break, and they’re going 24 hours a day in summer and in winter.”
The cumulative income from the wind turbines has significantly contributed to the village’s projects, including church renovations, school improvements, and wildlife initiatives.
With multiple conservation and wildlife initiatives on-site at Vine House Farm, funding from the turbines has allowed Nicholas and the team to continue enhancing their preservation efforts, as well as introducing additional sources of renewable energy to power the farm.
The farm also invested in solar panels, now producing more energy than consumed, earning an additional £30,000 annually.
“It’s been a great asset to the village, and continues to be an asset to the village. Farmers in the UK are not making a lot of money, they can get renewable energy on their farm. It is a big help to them.”
Learn more about Nicholas and Vine House Farm
