Looking at Solar for your rural property?

More and more rural landholders are making the switch to solar as they realise the benefits and cost savings of solar as a power alternative.

Solar can be used for many rural applications:

• To generate income for farms
• As an uninterruptible power supply for homes not connected to the grid
• To reduce electricity power bills
• As a backup power supply in the event of storms or power cuts

Generate Income

Farmers are looking for new ways of creating income from farming activities given recent environmental events.  One idea to consider as an investment is turning a small slice of your property into a solar farm.  A solar farm has none of the labour intensive nature and ongoing overheads of traditional farming.   There's next to no maintenance involved and solar farming can easily integrate with your farm's current activities. 

Uninterruptible Power Supply for Off Grid Buildings

If you are living in a remote area where mains electricity just isn't available or is terribly cost prohibitive, you could consider a standalone solar power system.  A stand alone power system works by the sun shining on the solar panels generating DC electricity.  This DC electricity is fed into a regulator which controls the amount of charge.  A battery bank of deep cycle batteries are charged and 12 volt appliances can be run directly off the batteries or the current routed through an inverter which converts it to 240V 50Hz AC electricity; suitable for running standard home appliances.  MPA provides solar PV that is suitable to be installed on either the roof of your house, on outbuildings or sheds or as a self-contained, stand alone power generator.

While a standalone power system (SAPS) can be quite an investment, generous government renewable energy rebates for people living in remote areas mean you can also save thousands on an off grid solar power set-up for a limited time.  Households and businesses installing systems on buildings more than a kilometre from the main grid or who have evidence that it would cost in excess of $30,000 to connect to mains power will be eligible to receive the Solar Credits multiplier for the first 20kW of their system installed. Currently the Solar Credits multiplier is a factor of five, so the savings can amount to tens of thousands of dollars for systems rated at the maximum level! However, there is a cap on the number of systems eligible each year, so if you're considering an off grid solar power system, it would be prudent to act fast!  

Reduce Power Bills

Solar power is becoming a more popular alternative as a source of power as electricity becomes increasingly expensive.  It is predicted that electricity prices will continue to rise in the foreseeable future.  For this reason, more homeowners are installing solar power on their roofs or outbuildings.  Government rebates and incentives are also compelling reasons to shift to solar power.  See more on the government rebates and incentives here.

Backup power supply

A back up solar power system can be set up in the event of power cuts or storms.  This will provide you with continuous energy service during blackouts, especially important for critical electrical equipment. The uninterruptible power supply will usually contain batteries or be used in conjunction with batteries.