Dairy News september 9, 2014
management // 41
Going solar pays off for Victorian farmers A NEW combined solar hot water and solar electricity installation on an Australian dairy farm at Koorooman, just north of Leongatha in Gippsland, is set to save up to A$6500 per year for the farmers. Peter and Jenny Hulshof sharefarm with owner Louisa Noordenne, milking 330-340 Friesian cows on a 42-bail rotary built 27 years ago. The property, Bona Vista, covers 224ha including the area for young stock. The milking cows run on about 168ha. They chose Solar Dynamics, Melbourne, the sole distributor of Chromagen solar hot water products. The firm does solar power installations with a 25 year warranty. After inspecting the dairy, site assessor Doug Phayer suggested he
temperature required for the postmilking washdowns. “Our shed is on 3-phase power so Solar Dynamics fitted a 15,000W 3-phase grid connect inverter,” Hulshof says. “What we use during the day comes from the solar and any extra goes into the grid so we get paid for it or as a reduction off our energy bills. We get 8 cents/kW on the grid.” Hulshof said they considered solar energy to save money. “We use 1160L of hot water each day in the dairy and that’s lots of electricity. With the high inputs in dairying, we needed to save costs somewhere. Louisa was very supportive of the project.” The Hulshofs say as the solar energy system has only been in for a couple of months, it hasn’t been long
quote for a solar system to supply all power for the dairy and the hot water. A year later Louisa Noordenne agreed to go ahead. Work started on May 1 this year and it took three days to get the 15kW solar electricity system running. Sixty 250W Canadian solar panels are fitted to the north-facing roof of the milking shed and six CR110 solar panels provide energy to three hot water units, each with 300L tanks. A pump circulates the water on each of the hot water tanks. As no heating elements are connected on the hot water units the system operates as a pre-heat for the existing boiler at the dairy. This way solar pre-heated water is provided, so the boiler heats to the operating
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Peter and Jenny Hulshof in front of their dairy in Victoria, now fitted with 66 solar panels.
enough to assess the advantages. “There is a readout on the control panel of the daily solar input and it’s easier than we thought to manage it in the practical operation of the dairy.” Solar Dynamics director Wayne Foster estimates the combined systems – solar hot water and solar electricity – should reduce grid-supplied power by at least 30,000kWh/year, equating to at least $6500 per year
savings on electricity costs. “This will be a combination of a reduction of grid power required and some solar credits for exporting power to the grid at a rate of 8c/kWh credit. With a 17% return on the investment and the rising cost of electricity the system is expected to pay for itself in five years. @dairy_news
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