Lindsay Dairy Farm

In northern Victoria, between Cohuna and Kerang, the Lindsay family is another of our generational dairy-farming family clients. We were referred to Bruce and Christine Lindsay in July 2017 by Bruce’s Dad, Geoff, who previously ran the farm. Being familiar with dairy operations, we were not surprised to hear that Bruce and Christine’s electricity bills were costing $2,000 per month. In an industry facing increasing financial pressures, Bruce and Christine saw solar as a great opportunity to eliminate a portion of these continuing costs.

During our consultation process with the Lindsays, it became clear they would require a significant solar system – in fact, they required 213 solar panels. Luckily, their dairy shed could hold all those panels, which amounted up to a 70kW system. Their north-facing roof was entirely covered, other than some shaded areas. We also used the south side of the roof by installing a reverse tilt option, so the panels still faced north, and we tilted some more panels west for their afternoon usage, giving the Lindsays a good balance of energy production throughout the day.

This north and north-west facing system has allowed the Lindsays to switch their hot water costs, previously incurred during the night, to the daytime, as well as smashing their afternoon milking costs. Since installation, the system has produced over 183,000 kWh, saving Bruce and Christine around $45,000 over the first two years. With solar panels expected to last 25+ years, they’re looking forward to many more years of reduced costs.

As owner Bruce Lindsay says, “Since going solar, we have reduced our electricity consumption by over 70%. We funded our solar system via the Solar Panel Options leasing option and have been able to cover our annual repayments directly through the savings from the solar system.”