For Nick Waitz, battery storage is the final piece of a 30-year puzzle.

Inspired by his parents’ experiences during the fuel shortages of the 70s, Nick has spent three decades transforming seven acres of Cornish land into a masterclass in permaculture and self-sufficiency. What was once a patch of tusky grass is now a thriving regenerative smallholding, where resilience is truly a way of life.

In this three-part series, we join Nick as our team at Natural Generation help him make the final leap toward total energy independence, with the installation of a cutting-edge battery system. We’re going behind the scenes to show you that a truly sustainable, off-grid lifestyle isn't a pipe dream; it’s happening right now in Ladock. Here's what we'll cover...

• Part 1: The Vision – Meet Nick and explore the permaculture principles driving this 30-year journey.
• Part 2: The Solution – We dive into the world-first battery tech, and explain how sodium-ion batteries (made from seawater!) are the ethical game-changer the planet has been waiting for.
• Part 3: The Impact – The data is in. We look at the real-world savings, and host a solar-powered BBQ to celebrate a system that thrives even when the Cornish weather does its worst.

This is a story about a family working with the land, harnessing the sun and wind, and blazing a trail for a more sustainable way of life for all of us.

The Vision: Permaculture in Action

As a trained permaculture designer and former science teacher, Nick’s passion lies in creating resilience, producing local food, and living in harmony with the land. The farm is a living demonstration of his philosophy; all buildings and structures are made from upcycled, recycled, or locally sourced materials, including wood from the farm itself.

For Nick, sustainability isn't a buzzword; it’s a design science. His work is guided by permaculture; the art of observing nature's own systems to create a sustainable way of living off the land.

"The principle that counts with these batteries is to catch and store energy," Nick explains. "The solar PV is on the roof catching the sunshine. These batteries are then storing that energy for us to use when the sun's not shining and we’re in the house wanting to cook dinner or watch TV."

The drive for independence started with Nick’s parents, who sought out Plenteth at Penhale Farmhouse as a place to start a smallholding, grow food and be less reliant on the grid. Since 1992, the family has:

• Planted over 1,000 trees
• Established no-dig vegetable beds, polytunnels, and orchards
• Achieved water independence via an on-site borehole
• Converted outbuildings using upcycled and locally sourced materials

Nick’s future vision for the future of the farm is ambitious, and exciting. By using the farm to promote permaculture and learning experiences, he aims to share the knowledge he has built over the last 30 years, though ventures including:

1. Eco-tourism and education: Hosting educational stays and permaculture learning experiences
   
   
2. Sustainable food production: Apples, pears, squash, broad beans, and other crops grown in no-dig beds to maintain soil health, with swales to help retain water
   
   
3. Community engagement: Selling apple juice, cider, and surplus crops through a community garden
   
   
4. Energy independence: Reducing reliance on fossil fuels, to create a truly sustainable home

As he puts it, “The solutions are becoming more interesting and abundant than the problems. We’re thinking globally and acting locally. The goal is to make ourselves and as many people as we know as secure as possible in terms of food and energy. These batteries are a fantastic addition to that system."

How the Farm's Energy System has Evolved

Natural Generation has been a partner in Nick's sustainability journey for over a decade now. His approach to energy independence has bloomed in stages:

2012: Installation of a 3.9 kWp solar PV system and a 5 kW Evance wind turbine.

The Heat Pump Transition: A few years later, Nick added a heat pump, successfully removing the need for oil heating entirely.

The Missing Link: While the wind turbine was "totally proven," Nick noticed much of the wind blew at night, exporting energy to the grid while they paid for power during the day.

2025: The new addition of Eleven Energy’s 36.0 kWh sodium-ion battery storage system to close the loop, allowing Nick to store wind and solar energy for later use.

System Overview

Installing batteries helps to combine the existing solar and wind systems at the farm, making managing energy use more flexible and more resilient. Here's what that looks like:

Solar Side (DC-Coupled):

• Existing 3.9 kWp solar PV system
• 36.0 kWh battery storage system by Eleven Energy
• 1 × North Sea EL5000 inverter
• 8 × Volta ELB-4.5 batteries.

Wind Side (AC-Coupled):

• Existing 5 kW Evance wind turbine
• 36.0 kWh battery storage system by Eleven Energy
• 1 × North Sea EL5000 inverter
• 8 × Volta ELB-4.5 batteries.

Why Batteries?

Nick explains why he was so excited to upgrade his solar and wind setup with battery storage;

“Seeing these cutting-edge, ecological batteries being unwrapped has been a long time in the planning. Living right at the edge of the grid means storms have been a threat to power supply, but not anymore! This sodium-ion battery system will smooth the curve of solar generation and can top up with low-cost renewable energy overnight. Peace of mind and a sound investment. A technology whose time has come!”

Installing the new battery storage system marks the start of a new chapter in the farm's journey, allowing Nick and his family to embrace the benefits of:

• Energy resilience and uninterrupted power supply during outages, giving peace of mind for a property at the edge of the grid
• Optimised self-consumption, by storing solar and wind energy for use when it’s most needed, lowering both their bills and their carbon emissions
• Smart energy management, as Eleven batteries include Wi-Fi connectivity, and can integrate with smart switches for remote monitoring and control
• Reliable, flexible power for high-energy farm operations like heat pumps and drying fruit, at convenient times.

Watch the full story below:

Thinking taking your property off grid?

Whether you’re looking to increase energy independence, make better use of your solar or wind generation, or protect your home or business from power outages, modern solar battery systems can make a huge difference.

At Natural Generation, we design and install energy storage solutions that are tailored to your site, your usage and your long-term goals.

If you’d like to explore whether battery storage could work for your property, get in touch with our team for an honest, practical conversation about your options.