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to manage that variability more than any other sector. “You are at the mercy of weather and climate which made me focus on renewables to increase resilience by reducing energy costs and emissions and showing that we are a sustain- able green sector.” And the savings were undeni- able. “Our solar diesel irrigation pump saved about $180,000 in diesel fuel in the first year alone for that diesel pump’s oper- ation,” she says. “It was about making the most of renewable energy to reduce our emissions and demonstrate our commitment to sustainabil- ity into the future while cutting costs.” And while the pump encoun- tered some ensuing issues due to the way solar and diesel blend, Karin says it was an extremely informative experience. “The upside of being an early adopter was that we felt it was really important to share these learnings with as many people as possible so that other people don’t fall into the same trap,” she says. Set-up costs are one of the biggest hurdles faced by farm- ers considering the jump to re- newables which can be up to $250,000. “It can be a massive upfront cost for farmers,” Karin says. “But there have been cost re- ductions too with solar power prices coming down about 85
Living and working on agri- culture’s frontline for 10 years, Karin knows too well the inherent unpredictable nature of the in- dustry which she says is only get- ting harder to plan for. “It was only really when I went to the farm that I could see with my own eyes the impact that unpredictable weather events such as droughts and floods in particular affects and harms pro- ductivity and profitability poten- tial” she says. “Farmers deal with so much variability including commod- ities and changing weather and climate patterns, and they have
witnessed in her role as Regional Clean Energy Coordinator for the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage from 2014 to 2016. “I saw there was a lot of inter- est from farmers in renewables quite early on and how they could reduce their pumping costs in par- ticular through solar irrigation,” she says. “But there wasn’t a lot of credible independent advice out there and not a lot of compan- ies were doing it. “Basically, over the years I have seen the sector move from theoretical to demonstration to commercial-scale solar irrigating applications.”
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