Tesla Energy Batteries To Power South Australian Poultry Farm, Predicted To Slash Grid Consumption By More Than 70%

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Tesla Energy batteries are poised to help power a massive South Australian poultry farm, allowing the facility to slash its grid consumption by over 70 percent and its emissions by 62 percent. The 2.28 MWh commercial-scale Tesla battery system will be paired with the Riverlands Free Range poultry complex’s 1.4 MW rooftop solar array.  

In an announcement on Wednesday, the AAM Investment Group, which purchased the Riverlands Free Range poultry complex in April 2018, stated that the Tesla battery system will serve as the largest of its kind on any commercially operating farm in the region. The project is part of a nearly AU$5 million energy sustainability initiative and is partly funded by a state government grant of AU$1.36 million under the Energy Productivity Program, as noted by One Step Off the Grid.  

Together with its expansive solar array, the 2.28 MWh Tesla battery storage system are expected to save the massive poultry farm about AU$635,000 in annual power costs. In a statement, AAMIG managing director Garry Edwards stated that the project is poised to show how agricultural businesses can tap into sustainable solutions for their operations. 

#Tesla 2.2MWh battery to help solar power South Australia poultry farm https://t.co/wdw8Ng8pDI

— OneStepOffTheGrid (@OneStepOffGrid) July 9, 2020

“This project is yet another successful demonstration of how agricultural businesses can be highly innovative and play an important role in the entire solution of moving Australia to a low-carbon future,” said Edwards. 

The AAMIG managing dictator added in a statement to the Adelaide Advertiser that the Tesla battery installation would allow the Riverlands Free Range poultry complex to optimize its power usage. This could be accomplished by storing energy during off-peak hours and utilizing gathered energy from its solar array during peak hours. 

“The battery lets us store and then use this energy at peak times in the afternoon or early morning, and to fill the battery from the network in times of low power pricing… enabling the business to reduce and manage its exposure to the volatility of the wholesale energy market while simultaneously cutting demand on the South Australian energy network,” he said. 

The Tesla batteries stand as the Riverlands farm’s latest sustainable energy project. Prior to the installation of its battery storage system, the farm, which provides around 20 million free-range and RSPCA-certified chickens annually, invested in the development of an on-site solid waste composting facility, which allowed the farm to cut on-site truck movements by 87 percent.