Commercial case study: Burkett Orange Farm

Burkett Orange Farm goes solar

Opportunity

The owners of Burkett Orange Farm near Robinvale were looking for a reputable solar company to install a quality solar power system to offset their electricity usage.

“We first heard about the Mallee Sun Solar Bulk-Buy through Swan Hill Rural City Council. We went to an information meeting in Robinvale where we met the bulk-buy organisers and their solar retailer, Specialized Solar,” said Susan Burkett.

“We learned that there was a grant from Agriculture Victoria and I did the grant paperwork, got an energy assessment and then researched various companies and systems. Specialized Solar appealed to us as it is very responsive and professional. We liked the fact that we could get an optimizer for every panel, so if one panel goes, the others still are fully producing.”

Solution

Specialized Solar installed a 99.2kW solar array on the farm’s packing shed. This 248-panel solar power system will supply around 65 percent of the farm’s total electricity needs – powering the refrigerated containers, water pumps and packing machines.

A $35,000 grant through the Agriculture Victoria On Farm Energy Grants Program helped towards the cost of the system.

Results

The system is projected to cut the farm’s electricity bills by around $9,000 a year resulting in a 4-5 year payback.

“We liked that Specialized Solar used a Swan Hill installer to do the installation,” said Mrs Burkett, “which makes calling for any service easier than if it is a Melbourne-based outfit. The system has a lifetime workmanship warranty and 20 years’ warranty on the inverters which gives us confidence that our investment will deliver the projected savings.”

“We would recommend other primary producers with high daytime electricity usage to consider investing in solar if they haven’t already done so,” said Mrs Burkett.