SRA Snapshot
NEW SRA ENERGY WEBSITE PORTAL RELEASED
Sugar Research Australia has recently revamped its energy information portal for industry. Economists at AgEcon, Jon Welsh and Janine Powell, have collated a host of findings from their SRA energy research project, which is now available in an easy-to-navigate format.
"The results were surprising. There can be immediate benefits for an irrigator with no capital outlay in some circumstances."
Case studies in a range of media such as podcasts, webinars, fact sheets, short articles and videos can be downloaded from the portal.
include interest rate subsidies and government loans with almost negligible cost of money where the equipment itself is considered collateral.”
Detailed written reports and scientific journal articles cover sustainability metrics and energy costs within the gross margin, while a survey of 120 cane irrigators offers some clarity on the main issues impacting energy technology uptake.
AgEcon research economist Janine Powell recently completed a study of factors influencing farmer adoption of solar PV in partnership with University of Western Australia economists, Prof Ross Kingwell and Prof David Pannell.
AgEcon partner, Jon Welsh, says one interesting line of research was the various funding options available to irrigators, once the decision is made to proceed with the most readily available technology, solar photovoltaic (PV). “The results were surprising. There can be immediate benefits for an irrigator with no capital outlay in some circumstances,” Jon said “The government is keen to see agriculture transition towards renewable energy sources and the incentives can
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Although solar PV is mature technology and a readily available solutions exist in regional areas, integrating solar PV systems is yet to make big inroads into cane farming or broadacre irrigation in general. “The adoption element of the research was intriguing and better understanding the factors limiting appetite for investment will help the focus of extension material and discussions with engineers, consultants and irrigators to ensure clarity around the true costs and benefits of making a long-term system change,” Janine said. ►