Urban farm goes green once, twice, thrice
Published Friday, 20th March 2009
A farm in Merton Abbey expects to slash its carbon emissions by some 10 tonnes per year through a new combination of wind, solar and biomass energy.
Deen City Farm this week officially launched the new system, which features a 10-metre-tall wind turbine, an installation of 10 solar panels and a boiler fueled by locally sourced wood. Together, the technology is expected to generate about one-third of the community farm’s power needs, saving it some £1,000a year in energy costs.
The £60,000 installation was funded with £24,700 from EDF Energy’s Green Fund, £20,250 from the Government’s Low Carbon Buildings Programme, £10,000 from Merton Council and £4,700 from the London Development Agency and Groundwork.
“This project is a very visible reminder that these technologies are out there and increasingly available,” said Ben Cheetham, the farm’s project manager. “We want to be a responsible community project and to achieve that we wanted to generate our own energy. If we hadn’t been given the grants by our supporters it would have been something that was unobtainable for us.”
Deen City Farm is an education-focused urban farm that draws numerous school groups and other visitors throughout the year. Participants can also choose to contribute their efforts to the working farm.
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