A farm on the Isle of Mull has turned one shade greener with the deployment of a hydropower scheme to keep the business going.
The Ardnacross Farm, on the north east coast of the island, has invested a six figure sum to install a 100kW hydropower scheme, with funding support by Clydesdale Bank.
The 1,250 acre farm has been run by the Forrester family since the early 1940s and currently boasts four holiday cottages, a bed and breakfast business and a shop, in addition to its herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle and flock of Cheviot and Hebridean sheep.
The hydropower scheme provides the farm with an additional income via the UK government’s Feed-In Tariff programme, which assumes payments by energy suppliers to individuals and businesses who use renewable electricity generators.
“The installation of the hydropower scheme allows us to continue our policy of diversifying the revenue base at Ardnacross,” said farm owner Rory Forrester.
“Diversification is important to us but so is making use of the vast array of natural resources on our doorstep, so taking advantage of hydropower ticks both those boxes.”