ONE of Northern Ireland�s leading poultry farmers has said he is fed up paying �100,000 per year in energy bills and is leading the way forward in the poultry industry by installing a �30,000 solar system on his chicken houses in order to cut his electric bills in half.

Fred Maxwell, of Maxwell Farms based in the Clogher Valley, said every year he pays �20,000 for his electricity and �80,000 on gas but has now decided enough is enough.

Mr Maxwell, who has 10 poultry houses, holding 270,000 birds and each house measures 250ftX57ft, said farmers across Northern Ireland are always working in challenging conditions but crippling energy bills are an extra challenge which adds pressure on businesses.

He said: �The size of my farm means my bills are massive. To be paying �100,000 per year on energy is awful so I decided something had to be done. I did a lot of research into wind turbines, solar panels and anaerobic digestion but I felt that solar was the way forward for me because once the system is installed, it�s completely hassle free. I don�t have to maintain it. The panels work on their own.�

Mr Maxwell currently has a 20kw system operating 84 solar panels on his chicken houses which he expects will cut his electricity bill by a quarter in the first year. Early next year, he intends to install another 30kw system which means his farm will be running a 50kw system which will reduce his energy bills in half.

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