- Region
- Northern Ireland
- Learners
- 3,500+ specialist land-based learners
- Estimated capacity
- See solar opportunity
- Funding
- Salix + grants
CAFRE (College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise) — group overview
CAFRE (College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise) operates as a multi-campus FE provider across Northern Ireland, delivering education to 3,500+ specialist land-based learners. The campus portfolio spans:
- Greenmount Campus (Antrim)
- Loughry Campus (Cookstown)
- Enniskillen Campus
Sustainability commitment and Climate Action Plan
CAFRE sustainability strategy covers agricultural, food and equine estate across three campuses. NI Executive Climate Change Act and DAERA Climate Programme framework. Scope-2 reduction trajectory aligned with public sector commitments.
Solar opportunity assessment
NI's equivalent of Hartpury/Reaseheath/SRUC. Three substantial campuses including Greenmount dairy estate, Loughry food technology, and Enniskillen equine. Estimated 1.5-2 MW PV potential. DAERA Climate Programme funding additional to UK-wide routes.
Total available roof area across the portfolio: 16,000+ sqm including agricultural buildings. At a typical 75% utilisation rate (after exclusions for plant, rooflights, shading, wayleaves), this gives a portfolio PV ceiling consistent with the estimated capacity above.
Funding stack for CAFRE (College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise)
- Salix Decarbonisation Loan — single portfolio bid covering all campuses (or Scottish/Welsh equivalents where applicable)
- PSDS Phase 4 capital grant — typically paired with air-source heat pump or building fabric on the largest campuses
- Regional decarbonisation pots — applicable per campus based on devolved authority or City Region Deal
- FE Capital Transformation Fund — embedded sustainability inside major estate transformation
- AoC Climate Action Plan compliance pathway — board-approved Climate Action Plan compliance pathway
- ONS reclassification unlocked Salix and PSDS for CAFRE (College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise) — the November 2022 policy change that unlocked Salix + PSDS for FE
- Payback calculator — model the specific CAFRE (College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise) scenario
Sub-vertical mix at CAFRE (College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise)
- Land-based and agricultural college solar — typical 300-1,500 kW per campus + ground-mount potential