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More farmers are getting in behind solar, batteries and electric machines. For Blair and Jodi Drysdale, who run Hopefield Farm in Southland, the decision to invest was mostly about reducing energy costs over the long term, but it's also come with a number of other benefits.
Last year, when massive winds knocked out power in the area for five days, their solar and battery set-up kicked into gear.
"Nothing stopped for us," he says. And they were also able to offer neighbours, family and friends hot showers.
Most days, the 21kW solar array fills up the 52kWh battery system and, to those who question how much sun they get in Southland, he says "it's never let us down yet".
The whole set-up was around $80k - including a line upgrade - and he's hopeful the investment will be paid off in around five years.
When you're generating your own cheap energy, it makes sense to use as much of it as possible. All the siloes have electric fans, they use electric tools and they've even bought an electric ATV. And the beauty of the modular solar system is that more can easily be added if electricity usage increases.
Drysdale says he was initially pretty sceptical of the electric farms pitch but, after being presented with all the facts and figures, he says it was a no brainer. And while the environmental benefits were not the main motivation, reducing emissions is another added bonus.
Farmers tend to listen to farmers and, with plenty of Fonterra dairy farmers set to get a significant payout soon, we hope some of them can see the potential of putting it towards a system like the one of Hopefield farm and a growing number of other farms around the country.
Every time the price of petrol shoots up, we see the same kind of advice: ‘Fill up now before it gets even higher’; ‘Shop around for cheaper fuel’; ‘Use your 6c off a litre coupons; ‘Change the way you drive and stretch your tank’. We’re mostly short-term creatures so these are all pretty normal responses to a price shock, but if you're looking to save money on fuel the best advice is to think longer term and remove yourself from the volatility of imported energy entirely.
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