As energy prices rise there is increased interest in the use of renewable energy on farms. But what technology is available? Is there a return on investment? Will renewables suit an individual farming operation? These are just some of the questions farmers are asking.

To answer these questions an information day will be held on Renewable Energy in Agriculture on the 23rd of July at Orbost. The event is specifically targeted at irrigators, but all are welcome.

Speakers on the day include:

Sandra Jefford and Wilco Droppert from Wilandra Farms. Wilandra Farms is a certified organic dairy farm located in Clydebank. In 2019, Sandra & Wilco completed an energy audit, which started them down the path of energy efficiency and renewable energy. They will give a farmer’s perspective of their journey, lessons learned, return on investment and more.

Stephen Soutar from Alternative Energy Innovation (AEI). Stephen has over 40 years of electrical and process control engineering experience. He installed four SmartBox systems at Wilandra Farm. Analysis of irrigation energy costs to the year prior revealed an incredible reduction from $81,000 to $1,000, with an estimated time savings of 15-25 hours per week.

Robyn McLean is from GippsDairy. The Ellinbank Smart Farm in Gippsland is Australia’s leading dairy innovation facility. It fast-tracks innovative technology solutions in a research environment and showcases them to the dairy industry. Robyn will showcase some renewable energy projects, specifically wind turbines and pumped hydro.