Cadell Orchards launches microgrid and solar farm with AGL
Cadell Orchards saw the benefits of using a large microgrid with solar and battery to power their irrigation.
AGL worked with Cadell Orchards through its operator, Australian Farming Services (AFS), to install an on-site microgrid at their 1,690 hectare almond orchard farm in Sunraysia, New South Wales.
Cadell Orchards' diesel-fuelled generators were powering their irrigation system at a significant cost and didn’t have great reliability. Since connecting to the electricity grid was too costly for their remote location, we helped install a microgrid and solar farm to lower energy costs and emissions, and support a more sustainable farming operation.
“With enough renewable energy to power a small town,¹ this new solar farm is the size of two MCGs and will help Cadell Orchards cut thousands of tonnes of CO² emissions each year”, said Jo Egan, AGL’s Chief Customer Officer.
We installed a microgrid with a 4.9 MW tracking solar array and a 5.4 MWh battery, under a 20-year solar Power Purchasing Agreement (PPA).
Powering Cadell’s future with solar
AGL worked closely with Cadell Orchards for more than 18 months to support its transition to renewable energy with the installation of a microgrid.
A microgrid is a local system of distributed power sources that can work on or off the grid. It makes the energy supply more reliable and resilient while supporting the use of renewable energy, like solar power.
The Cadell microgrid includes over 8,000 solar panels, approximately 8 km of new underground power lines, an inverter and battery based grid stability unit, microgrid controller and communications system. We connected three pumping stations to the onsite solar park via a 22 kV powerline.
Here are three reasons why installing a microgrid solar and battery system was the best renewable energy solution for Cadell Orchards.
1. Greater energy resilience and reliability
The Cadell Orchards microgrid allows solar to be used and stored efficiently while providing an uninterrupted power supply to the site. It provides up to 6.1 GWh of renewable energy for the site, reducing the orchard's reliance on the diesel-fuelled generators and cutting its CO2 emissions by 4,340 tonnes each year.
This shift has led to significant cost savings while supplying renewable energy for the orchard’s operations.
Reliable battery storage
The installation of on-site batteries offer several benefits to the orchard, such as:
- Store solar energy to match supply with demand.
- Provide a steady supply of power to the site.
- Enable pump sets and generators to turn on and off without affecting electricity system stability.
2. Long-term savings with solar
Cadell Orchards partnered with AGL to benefit from solar energy without any upfront investment. Their goal was not only to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also to achieve financial savings.
“Our orchards will have better energy price certainty and improved resilience and reliability”, said Australian Farming Services CEO, David Armstrong.
Through a Solar Smart Plan, also known as a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), businesses can have access to solar energy without any upfront costs and pay for the energy generated by the microgrid system at a fixed rate.
AGL owns, operates and maintains the system, and sells the energy generated by the system at an agreed rate (c/kWh). In many cases, the PPA tariff will be less than what you currently pay for your daytime electricity.
3. Decarbonise business operations
Cadell Orchards lowered its reliance on diesel generators by switching to renewable solar energy. We provided a grid-ready energy solution, reduced the carbon intensity of diesel-fuelled electricity by up to 85%, and helped them to decarbonise their operations and move towards a sustainable future.
“It's been an exciting journey working closely with AGL to develop renewable energy solutions for our almond operations,” said Australian Farming Services CEO, David Armstrong.
Many of our customers share this commitment to responsible energy management. Now’s a great time to explore innovative solutions to decarbonise your business and achieve your sustainability goals.
Start your decarbonisation journey with renewable energy solutions
Learn how your business can reduce energy costs and improve sustainability with renewable energy and how we can support your solar and battery needs.
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¹Estimated to power around 962 average Australian households, based on Australian average residential customer electricity usage of 5.4MWh per annum (AEC residential electricity use and customer numbers per state for FY2019 (Electricity Gas Australia 2020)).