Boosting energy efficiency for victoria’s farmers

The Andrews Labor Government is supporting Victorian farmers to invest in new equipment and technology to improve sustainability and reduce energy costs with the rollout of Agriculture Energy Investment Plan grants.

Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas today visited the Colman family’s merino sheep farm in central Victoria to view a solar storage project that was purchased and installed with the help of grant funds.

The off-grid solar system provides energy for the farm, delivering up to 7.5 kW of continuous power to the property. This will replace approximately 5,005 litres of diesel, resulting in a significant reduction in energy costs.

By reducing the cost of energy, the solar storage project allows the Colman’s farm to remain competitive in both the merino wool and lamb/mutton markets.

The grants are supporting farm businesses to complete projects that improve their energy efficiency, reduce on-farm costs and maintain their competitiveness. Grants have been awarded to farms across the agricultural sector – including dairy, sheep, horticulture and viticulture producers.

The grants awarded so far will be used for projects including solar energy systems, sustainable solar-powered dairy systems and irrigation and electricity upgrades. Some farms are expected to save over 40 per cent on their annual energy costs.

The Agriculture Energy Investment Plan has been designed to strengthen industry’s ability to adapt to changing energy conditions and provides:

$5 million for energy efficiency assessments on farm $20 million in grants to support farmers invest in energy efficiency and own generation technology $1.5 million to demonstrate energy efficiency and own generation measures on farm $2.5 million to link farmers and businesses to information, education resources and apps $1 million to build research partnerships for the farming sector.

For more information on how to apply for assessments and grants, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au.

Quote attributable to Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas
"We’re proud to be helping Victorian farms move into the future with projects that will bring costs down and make our agriculture industry sustainable for many years to come."

"We’re making it easier for farmers to save on their energy bills and increase the efficiency of their business – these grants will make a real difference to the farmer’s bottom line, and help them improve their farms into the future."