COMMENT
My mouth was set in a grim line as I watched the taillights of the ute disappear.
The drive for my husband to pick up a 20KvA generator and tow it back up the mountain is a treacherous one.
I turned my attention back to moving the mob of sodden, cranky and full sheep towards the dairy.
This was a scenario that was too often repeated on our farm in Robertson in the Southern Highlands.
Frequent blackouts were stressful on our milking ewes and on us - not to mention the potential loss of product - and we were keen for change.
Sustainability and innovation were at the core of our philosophy when we founded our sheep dairy and cheesery 13 years ago and it made sense for us to begin the journey of converting the farm to renewables.
We knew also that costs would continue to rise through business growth and energy pricing.
Three years ago, along with three other farms, we took part in a NSW Department of Primary Industry pilot project.
The result was the installation of 100 solar panels on our dairy, cheesery and machinery shed - along with batteries.
North facing and amounting to 42kW of energy, the solar panels feed into six 10kwh batteries and have secured the farm's energy needs.
The batteries are all-Australian technology from Red Flow, a company that uses zinc bromide rather than lithium - meaning they will last for decades, are not flammable and are made from recycled materials.
All of these are significant considerations for us.
But the game changer was a peer-to-peer energy trading scheme, which allows us to trade surplus energy from our solar panels and batteries to farmers within our network.
Right now, most consumers purchase energy at 32 cents per kWh - or thereabouts - but only get 7-8c for their feed in.
Our system allows farmers within our group to trade energy between each other in real time at better prices for both buyer and seller.
We used a firm called ReThink, which supplied the algorithms and technology.
But, essentially, it's a potentially disruptive technology in the energy market and a powerful mechanism for farmers not only to be part of a greener future, but to trade energy quickly, easily and profitably with each other.
The system is still evolving, but we hope one day that our group becomes big enough to be regarded as its own distributed power generator.
It's an exciting future.
"Pecora Dairy" is now well on its way to becoming carbon neutral.
There is huge potential for farmers to harness their natural resources and make it work for their businesses.
I'm passionate about Australian agriculture.
Building sustainable, profitable and progressive agricultural businesses is the way forward and we have the potential to be world leaders in this space.
I would love to see more Australian farmers secure their farm's future and benefit from the huge array of emerging technologies.
The estimated annual cost of energy is already about $5.85 billion for the Australian agricultural sector.
But this is set to soar as electricity prices are expected to double by 2024, according to a recent federal government forecast.
Since 2000, energy consumption from renewable sources in Australia has increased from 270 billion joules to 420 billion joules.
But overall consumption is relatively low (at 7 per cent) in the context of Australia's total energy consumption (6000 billion or 6 trillion joules).
Alternative energy is expected to create an average of 34,000 new jobs annually to 2035.
AgriFutures Australia has published a series of short reports specifically for primary producers outlining eight ready-for-market renewable energy solutions with a step-by-step guide about how to begin the process of integration into on-farm practices.
The series focuses on solar panels, wind power, bioenergy, hydro power, battery storage and hydrogen - and includes case studies in rural industries and information about affordability.
AgriFutures Australia National Rural Issues manager, Jane Knight, said agriculture is under growing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and finding innovations and new technologies that allow industry to change existing practices will be essential in decarbonising.
"Overcoming initial constraints in the growing alternative energy market will be key to change in agriculture - and this research paves the way," she said.
"There is a huge opportunity for Australian agriculture to learn from international best practice in all areas of transition and become a leader in energy innovation."
AgriFutures Australia will continue to explore the opportunities for renewable energy solutions especially for primary producers at AgriFutures evoke AG. This will be held on February 21-22, 2023 in Adelaide.
Tickets are set to sell out, so make sure you don't miss out on purchasing your tickets at evokeag.com
