AGL Energy has completed the installation of a huge stand-alone solar and battery microgrid designed and built to power a commercial almond orchard and slash its use of diesel fuel.
The 4.9MW tracking solar farm and 5.4MWh battery system installed at the will cut Cadell Orchards’ reliance on diesel fuel by 85 per cent and deliver up to 40 per cent in energy cost savings each year.
AGL announced back in 2022 that it would partner with the Australian Farming Services (AFS) managed Cadell Orchards to build a microgrid at its Sunraysia almond orchard in the New South Wales Riverina region.
The 1,690-hectare almond orchard is not connected to the grid at its location outside of the town of Balraland, and so had been irrigated with electric pumps powered by diesel generators.
The completed off-grid system includes 7km of new underground powerlines, an inverter, a grid stability unit, and a control management system.
AGL general manager for commercial and industrial customers, Ryan Warburton, says the microgrid will help one of Australia’s largest almond producers slash emissions and costs and enjoy better energy resilience and reliability.
“It’s not every day you get to launch a microgrid two times the size of the MCG,” Warburton says in a video filmed at the project’s launch, which hosted representatives from other agribusinesses to showcase alternative energy solutions.
“It’s a great example of what joining the change can look like for our customers and a demonstration of sustainability, reliability and affordability coming into action,” he said.
The Cadell Orchards project is one of three microgrids AGL is building in partnership with AFS, which also includes a 6.5MW solar and 6.1MWh battery microgrid at the Canally Almond Orchard.
The third project, at the Murray Downs Processing Facility, is in the early stages of development as AGL conducts a feasibility study to design a renewable microgrid.
“The solar-powered microgrids at Cadell Orchards and Canally Orchards will deliver our almond farms an 85 percent reduction in diesel fuel, slashing our emissions and providing substantial cost savings each year,” said David Armstrong, CEO of Australian Farming Services.
“As one of the largest employers in the region, these renewable energy projects provide our businesses with greater energy price certainty and better energy reliability so we can focus on producing Australian-grown almonds.
“We manage more than 4,4000 hectares and nearly 1.5 million trees in some of Australia’s most productive horticultural regions. With AGL’s support, we are transforming our farming operations to generate clean and renewable solar power, providing greater energy resilience for our remote area.”
