Hi, can anyone point me in direction of companies, information, case studies or useful resources about looking at the viabililty of putting solar energy on farms? I understand it could be a potential investment option for us on buildings and low value land, but not sure where to start to understand the market opportunity or process. Thanks all.
What is your goal with the solar? To be self sufficient, provide income, or offset your power bill?
All the options above require different processes of your thinking. I don't believe it to be a source of income due to the restrictions, unless you are serious and want to pump mega-watts into the grid.
As an offset to your power, most of the solar companies can provide assistance here. Depending on your whereabouts, and your farm is producing, it can be placed out int the paddocks over crops, and provide needed shade through summer, or shade for livestock.
And to go off-grid, because you are just jack of all the craziness of increasing power costs, it requires you to think about the power distribution across the property, and the energy storage you prefer, ie Lithium, Redox-Flow, Lead-Acid, or some other methods that are more mechanical like large weight movement, or hydro etc.
Doing research via google will find a heap of information, but also a whole lot of theoretcial, and also a lot rubbish. Some good old practical thinking will let you syphon through it.
But I will be able to provide some links if you can me a better idea of your goal, and type of property.
Cheers