Image: New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority
New Zealand’s EECA has officially announced the first 32 demonstration farms to participate Solar energy on farms program; to test how solar energy and batteries perform in key sectors.
Working with the farms, the EECA is working to install solar panels, smart inverters and batteries to demonstrate the viability of the technology and share insights with other New Zealand farmers to drive further adoption.
The total solar power of the 32 farms is 3,616 kW, of which seven have installed 30 kW to 50 kW solar systemsEight of the farms have installed systems from 50 kW to 100 kW, five (100 kW to 150 kW) and eight (150 kW-plus), while four of the farms use batteries only.
One of the larger systems in the program is a 216 kW system, installed on the roof of a warehouse owned by large-scale integrated farming company Balle Bros Group, with a 116 kWh battery energy storage system (BESS).
“With high daytime energy demands from chillers and rising electricity costs, this is a strong example of solar energy matched to operational load,” the EECA said.
A range of business types were selected for the programme, including dairy, sheep, beef, horticulture, poultry, nurseries and wine, and the farms have received part funding to install their systems, plus share performance data, lessons learned and organize on-farm demonstration events to support wider industry uptake.
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