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We keep seeing examples of farmers taking energy into their own hands, saving money and increasing their resilience and Tim Campbell of Ernest Energy is one of the people helping them do it down south.
At Clover Milk Dairies in Hedgehope, his company has installed a 75kW array on some unproductive land and it's in a relatively unique configuration.
"It was a hedgerow that needed to be knocked down, so essentially we've used that land quite nicely between the main cow lank and main tanker track."
The hot water cylinders all operate during the middle of the day - something we recommend all homes with solar do - the effluent system is now also used between milkings, and the solar also plays a role when it comes to keeping the milk cool.
While the farm doesn't yet have batteries, they can be added later. But McPherson Dairies down the road has installed 100kwH of battery storage that can charge up on cheap night rates or solar during the day and discharge when milking and for cooling.
Campbell says the solar and battery set up there will take around six and a half years to pay off, including borrowing costs and claiming depreciation on the asset.
"But the resilience piece is the hard part to value."
High fuel prices are hurting different demographics in different ways. We've seen stories of low-income households having to choose between food and transport; businesses reliant on diesel that are on the brink as margins shrink; and now, those in rural districts spending "as much as five times more of their household budgets on fuel than city dwellers".
Paul Spain heads to Central Otago to meet Mike Casey at Electric Cherries, exploring what happens when tech thinking meets hands‑on farming. Mike shares his journey from scaling tech startups in Sydney to creating New Zealand’s first fully electric cherry orchard, powered by onsite solar to reduce energy costs and build long‑term resilience. The conversation dives into the real economics of electrification, smart infrastructure choices, and how practical technology decisions can unlock productivity, sustainability, and future growth for New Zealand businesses.
Read moreDownloadThe OECD has just released its 2026 report on New Zealand's economy. And when it comes to energy, it basically gave us a 'must try harder' grade. On the proposed LNG terminal - which, remarkably, is still not dead yet despite all evidence suggesting it should be - the OECD said, as we have said, that it would not serve its intended function of lowering prices.
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