Solar pumping system switched on at NSW farm

A new solar irrigation system — claimed to be the largest in Australia — was switched on this morning by farmer Jon Elder, from the town of Narromine in regional NSW.

Working with Elder, solar pumping specialist ReAqua has designed and built a 500 kW solar array, comprising nearly a hectare of panels, to power a bore producing up to 15 ML each day. The system is expected to slash energy costs and emissions, while improving the drought resilience of Elder’s family farm.

“We’re a mix of irrigated and dryland cropping, and diesel is our biggest expense because of our irrigation bores,” Elder said.

“I’m confident we’ll repay our investment in less than five years on diesel saving alone, but there’s other bottom line benefits too: we’re less exposed to diesel price fluctuations, we generate an income from the sale of large-scale generation certificates and our investment is 100% tax deductible in year one.”

Elder said that while his decision to go ahead was based on cost savings, he is also excited to be reducing the farm’s greenhouse gas emissions by 500 tonnes each year — the equivalent emissions of over 75 Australian households.

ReAqua Managing Director Ben Lee said his company has similar projects in the pipeline, with an increasing number of farmers enquiring about solar irrigation.

“We’ve heard from farmers who were sold the promise of solar pumping by shoddy solar companies who didn’t understand pumps or the farmer’s needs,” Lee said. Those businesses damage the industry and scare off future customers.

“We take the time to understand our clients’ irrigation systems and work with them to deliver what we say we will.”

ReAqua has also partnered with CSIRO to investigate how solar forecasting can optimise solar pump operation. According to Lee, “We’re constantly on the lookout for ways of improving the technology that we have, which results in better outcomes for farmers.”

This morning’s launch was attended by Niall Blair, NSW Minister for Primary Industries and NSW Minister for Regional Water, and Mark Coulton, Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment.

Image caption: Jon Elder walks past his solar array.