Solar helps goat farmer slash his power bills
While there are many different types of farmers, you could argue that they all farm light. Light grows the grass and crops to feed the animals. Light grows the fruit and vegetables to feed the humans. And now light can also help grow your business, because solar power makes economic sense.
While the solar power market is still small in New Zealand, it’s growing quickly and Luke Nutting, the founder and CEO of solar power company Lightforce, says there are a few reasons for that:
1) the price of solar systems has decreased significantly over the past few years, to the point where the International Energy Agency recently said that solar power was the cheapest form of energy humans have ever created;
2) the cost of batteries has dropped and the technology has improved drastically, which has allowed customers to store energy from the sun;
3) the need to reduce carbon emissions has led to a boom in renewable energy solutions.
Battery technology has been the biggest shift and around 80 percent of the residential systems Lightforce installs now include battery systems. In what Nutting sees as a big endorsement of the company and its vision, it recently signed an exclusive distribution deal with global battery powerhouse Energizer Homepower.
Those living in remote locations have always seen the benefit of solar when it comes to energy independence, and this battery technology is particularly relevant for farmers where it’s either too hard or too expensive to be connected up to the grid.
‘‘With solar panels, your house becomes a power plant that can be used in real-time when you’re generating energy from the sun. But with batteries you can use that energy when you need it most - usually at night and in the morning - so you will have less reliance on the grid,’’ says Nutting.
Nutting says there is also growing interest in solar from businesses with bigger energy demands and a growing desire to look after the environment, including in agriculture, horticulture and viticulture. And he thinks it’s only going to become more popular, because Lightforce has recently signed a deal with Huawei to provide industrial-sized batteries. This means many farmers will be able to generate and store enough energy to run their farms, including running milking sheds.
Whatawhata goat farmer James Hill, who produces milk for the Dairy Goat Co-operative’s infant formula business, has 138 solar panels on his shed roof.
‘‘Our 38kwh system runs the whole farm. The milking, the hot water cylinders, the houses, absolutely everything. And we’re exporting about 20-30 percent [of our energy back to the grid]. At the end of the day, having a return on investment of 15 percent is a lot better than you can do at the banks.’’
Hill says he was paying around $1500 a month for electricity before getting a solar system installed and now the most he’ll pay is $400. Some months it’s as low as $50 and, during the summer, he can even get paid for the energy he’s generating
(he was surprised at the amount of energy that can be generated when it’s overcast).
Hill believes the price of energy is only going to go up, which means solar will equate to ‘‘more and more savings’’ and an even better return on investment. ‘‘It just gives you freedom,’’ he says. Nutting says Lightforce can assist with financing, and has a range of structuring options available that can ensure customers are cash-flow positive..
The company has offices in Auckland, Kerikeri, Hamilton and Nelson and recently acquired a solar company in Marlborough. It plans to open new solar hubs in Canterbury and Central Otago by the end of the year and, unlike many other solar companies that outsource the installation, it has built up its own team of installers and invests heavily in training so it can control the process.
‘‘If you’re a farmer, solar is a nobrainer. It’s good for the planet, it’s good for your profits and, because we support a range of different charities, it’s good for our people.’’
For more information, visit lightforce. co.nz or stop by for a chat at the Lightforce stall at Fieldays.