RE-Alliance and Farmers for Climate Action have published a new guide to help farmers and other rural and regional small-business owners assess electrification options in the face of rising power bills, soaring diesel prices and unreliable supply issues.
The new free guide, Electrifying Regional Australia, covers power options including solar, battery storage, microgrids and standalone power systems, as well as energy trading, and the options on electrifying vehicles and machinery and other energy hungry systems.
The guide has been backed by Energy Consumers Australia as part of its grants program.
“Across regional Australia, farms and small businesses are already finding ways to cut energy costs, reduce their exposure to diesel prices and gain more control over their power supply,” said Karin Stark, RE-Alliance board director and co-author of the report, who organised the recent National Renewables in Agriculture conference in Orange.
“But there is no single solution that will work for every business or every region. For some businesses, the best first step might be solar or an electric pump. For others, it could be battery storage, electric machinery or a stand-alone power system.
