With forecasters predicting a rapid growth in renewable energy use in Australia, and farmers facing both environmental and economic challenges to their livelihood, ABB is helping transform the fortunes of Riverland farmers with the installation of sustainable solar plants.
Rural Australia has been hit by successive droughts and poor crop prices, with farmers struggling to earn a living. Subsequently, many have been forced to abandon their farms and incomes. However, a potential solution was identified by local business owner Mark Yates of Yates Electrical, based in Paringa, South Australia. He was convinced that solar energy could make a significant contribution to the sustainability of farming.
Mark teamed up with solar experts from ABB to bring sustainable renewable energy to the Riverland region and revitalise the local economy, bringing new opportunities to grape and citrus growers. The partnership is helping to harvest the sun’s rays and build a network of solar installations across Australia’s rural Riverland area.
As Mark said: “I was convinced that this barren land could be used economically with a solar plant to ensure constant energy harvest and profitability. With solar, not only can farmers significantly reduce their own energy costs, but they can also sell surplus power back to the local energy retailer, taking advantage of the volatility of the wholesale energy market.”
As he sought to build support for his innovative approach, Mark called on solar experts from ABB, knowing that the company’s extensive experience and high level of technical support would help win the confidence of the farmers.
Adrian Amato from ABB Australia, explained: “We saw the opportunity to partner with Yates Electrical to put power back into the hands of the farming community and transform unused farming land, which was once dominated by fertile vineyards and citrus trees, into a powerful income stream.”
The first solar farms were installed in the Riverland in 2017 using six 27kW ABB TRIO inverters, housed in an on-site containerised solution. This was later reconfigured to take advantage of the versatility and durability of ABB TRIO-50 inverters.
The success of the first installation inspired an innovative community solar project called Redmud Green Energy, which involves building small-scale solar farms on vacant, redundant agricultural land parcels.
Given the ample solar resources in the area, the project aims to help farmers and boost the Riverland economy.
“We wanted to offer land owners the opportunity to take advantage of South Australia’s volatile wholesale energy market,” said Mr Yates. “A project like this not only introduces an entirely new industry and commodity to our regional centre, but the scale of individual projects also means that we are able to source and employ technicians and supplies, which creates local jobs and strengthens our regional economy.”
To date 28 solar farms have been installed, with 34 additional sites earmarked for development, as more farmers in the region make the move to solar energy in their quest for sustainability. The projects were designed and built with the proven TRIO-50 three-phase string inverters from ABB. Their modular design and wide input voltage range for maximum flexibility as well as the reduced installation and maintenance cost are the ideal fit for these projects.
By selling energy to the National Electricity Market (NEM), farmers now have a second income stream, which in turn generates a stronger local economy.
Working together, Yates Electrical and ABB have handed power back to the region’s food producers, who are diversifying to succeed. One of Redmud Green Energy’s first customers was local citrus and grape grower Sam Albanese, who replaced a block of under-producing vines with a solar farm.
The solar farm earned Sam a 15 percent return on investment and cut his power bill by one-third. Unlike vineyards, the solar farm requires very little maintenance and Sam has recently completed the installation of a second solar farm on another of his properties.
As Sam said: “Unlike Vineyards which require lots of care and attention, with the solar farm you don’t need to do anything but occasionally spray the weeds around it. It makes good economic sense and it’s good for the environment, so it’s a win-win.”
The Redmud Green Energy project is successfully revitalising the Riverland of Australia, with plans to develop further projects in the region.
“Farming the sun’s rays is a powerful new way for farmers to diversify. It’s about using the land in different ways to deliver the best possible return that is kind to the environment and can revitalize the local economy. We’ve seen the fruits of this with the Yates project in Australia in what is set to be a clear trend for the future,” concluded Adrian Amato.
ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization with two clear value propositions: bringing electricity from any power plant to any plug and automating industries from natural resources to finished products. As title partner of Formula E, the fully electric international FIA motorsport class, ABB is pushing the boundaries of e-mobility to contribute to a sustainable future. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 135,000 employees. www.abb.com
