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The Crutchley family has been turning sunlight into food and fibre on their Maniototo farm since 1939. Now, Emma Crutchley and Kyle Hagen are turning sunlight into energy.
Their solar setup helps to irrigate over 200 hectares on their sheep and beef farm and also runs the farm sheds, workshop and farmhouse. Any excess is stored in batteries or sent back out to the grid.
While there are significant upfront costs attached, Becks Smith, co-founder of Solayer, which installed the system, says farmers can expect to pay it back in around five years primarily through the savings on electricity bills.
Smith says farmers often have to compromise to reduce their costs (for example, a reduction in fertiliser use may affect production), but solar is a way for farmers to reduce costs without having to compromise on anything and, as Rewiring Aotearoa’s research showed, it is popular across all farm types and age groups, with 70% of respondents to a survey last year saying they were interested.
Solar can also be a gateway drug to electrification. Anecdotally, homeowners with solar tend to be more interested in electric vehicles when they realise they have an energy source on their roof that they should be making the most of, and farmers with solar are more likely to look at the machines they’re using - from tractors to mowers to frost fighting fans - and try to figure out how to electrify them because it makes economic sense over the long-run.
Batteries on farms (and in homes) are less of an economic slam dunk than solar at the moment, but Smith says they are still seeing impressive payback periods and those are likely to improve as prices continue to drop and higher rates for peak exports become more common.
As New Zealand’s economy electrifies, we will need more renewable generation and farms could play a much bigger role in the energy system. If 50,000 farms installed a mid-sized solar system, that could generate 60% more electricity - and more big battery set ups can help power other homes in the area without the need for expensive infrastructure upgrades.
Just as Forest Lodge Orchard has provided a powerful demonstration project, Crutchley and Smith are showing how well it stacks up for other types of farms and inspiring others to follow suit.
Rewiring Aotearoa’s research has shown that there is plenty of latent demand for solar and batteries, but there are a number of barriers standing in the way. Where the Government and regulators could make changes to help unlock that potential, we’ve told them and, to their credit, they have tried to address many of those issues. Last week, we were critical of the Government’s energy reforms, as were most other commentators. But this week we’re happy to be celebrating the letter that Energy Minister Simon Watts has sent to the heads of all 29 electricity distribution businesses.
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