Dairy farm solar electric system

Dairy Farm Solar Energy Solution Case Study

In 2017, an Oakey dairy farm received a notice from their electricity provider informing them of converting to demand tariff because they were exceeding 100 MWh per year. As a result they expected an increase of their electricity bill by about $6,500 a year. The family went on an information gathering exercise looking at options on how to improve energy efficiency using energy management practices and incorporate and store energy through the use of renewable energy.

After contacting solar companies they decided on a 30 kW inverter system with up to 40 kW of photovoltaic panels from Queensland based Solar Energy and Battery Storage Solutions which was installed in August 2018. In addition water cooling and heat recovery measures were implemented which reduced both excess energy being imported from the grid and energy exported to the grid.

Several energy efficiency objectives were achieved and as a result their maximum demand has dropped from 52 kW to 35 kW and their daily consumption dropped from 275 kWh to an average 160 kWh. Their energy bills nearly halved with the use of solar and energy recovery techniques.

The family is happy with their investment. They were able to save $1,900 per month on solar with a payback period of 27 months on the solar investment. They are now looking into renewable energy for solar water pumping and solar irrigation.

Dairy farm solar electric system

Solar Energy Bore Water Pumping Solution Case Study

Water pumping and irrigation on the farms represent perfect reliable applications to use Solar Photovoltaic Power. This is particularly true if one can rely completely on the sun to perform the task.

Load matching, that’s matching the load characteristic and the source of power, is the core of this successful flawless application. In this case the amount of water pumping can vary with the amount of incident solar radiation.

The need for energy storage can be replaced with storing water in reservoirs or in dams for use at night and on cloudy days.

The Royal Hotel Meandarra

The Royal Hotel Meandarra – Commercial Building Case Study

Having had solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in [his previous commcerial operation] and because of the high energy costs of the business at over $52 per day, Jason decided to engage Innolec and Solar Energy and Battery Storage Solutions (SEBSS) to design a suitable PV system to reduce [the Royal Hotel Meandarra] reliance on grid power.

Innolec and SEBSS Analysed the electricity bills… checked the roof space… and recommended to use two inverters: a 20 kW (for north facing panels) and a 5 kW (for east and west panels). The 90 panels… were… making 31.5 kW.

Analysis showed that the electricity cost per day reduced by between $21.5 and $24 per day… The reduction in the annual bill is about $8000 and the investment is on track to pay for itself in less than 4 years.