Caring for animals is a 24-hour job. At Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, energy powers everything from heated stables to vaccine fridges, and every pound spent on electricity is a pound not spent on hay, vet bills, or a home for one more animal in need.
A Different Kind of Solar Deal
Raystede already had solar of its own on other rooftops around the site, put up under its own steam. This latest array is a different kind of project. It sits on the roof of the stables, home to Raystede’s horses, donkeys and ponies, and Raystede didn’t pay a penny to put it there. Instead, they simply buy the power it makes, at a rate lower than their usual supplier, fixed into the future. Cheaper bills now, and resilience from whatever energy prices do next.
A Community-Powered Partnership
It started around two and a half years ago, when Raystede and OVESCO’s Technical Manager, Frank, got talking about what a stables roof full of Sussex sunshine could do. A feasibility study, backed by grant funding, showed real promise, and a loan got the work moving, always with the plan of handing it over to community ownership down the line. It took longer to get off the ground than anyone hoped, but the plan never wavered.
Quiet Mornings on the Yard
One of the things about this project that was unique, and very special (and that sometimes drove Frank through the roof, literally) is that the entire installation crew, from scaffolders to electricians, had to work around the animals. No power tools until the horses, ponies and donkeys were out of earshot. Rushing was not an option, just careful hands and quiet mornings until the job was done. Slower than a typical install, and exactly how it should have gone.
Turning Sunshine into Savings
The result: a 90.5 kWp array, generating since July, expected to cover around 10 to 15% of Raystede’s annual electricity use. Straightforward, really: cheaper power today, and one less thing to worry about tomorrow.
⚡ Project Snapshot
- 90.5kWp solar PV system – our biggest to date
- 2 years+ development period – working around the welfare of the animals
- Cheaper, stable power – helping the site avoid rising energy prices
- 25-year contract – designed for community ownership
Raystede in numbers
- 420+ volunteers
- 70 year history of animal welfare
- 65,000 visitors a year
- ~2000 animals every year, now cared for with cleaner, cheaper power
Part of Something Bigger
Raystede’s stables are one of three community-owned projects behind OVESCO’s 2026 Share Offer, alongside Bevern Trust and Holmansbridge Farm. If that’s something you’d like to be part of, you can find out more on our Share Offer page.
