The Rocks Station has taken significant steps towards being independent of the electricity grid with the installation of rooftop solar power, battery storage and solar water pumping.

The Middlemarch business engaged renewable energy specialists Infratec to install 8.1kWh solar and 25kWh of saltwater battery on their woolshed and a solar water pump used for stock watering.

The rooftop solar and battery system will reduce the property’s basic electricity use by 75% (excluding the costs associated with irrigation) and the solar water pump saving $2,000 per year in electricity connections costs.

The Rocks owner Andrew Templeton said that “the renewable system has enabled us to reduce our yearly operating costs and means we are less dependent on the electricity network.”

Infratec has seen an increase in interest from farmers who want better reliability and more independence from the electricity grid.

“With the cost of renewable energy technology constantly dropping, farmers and rural property owners now have an alternative to the electricity grid,” says Infratec General Manager-Business Development Luke van Zeller.

Auckland-based Taspac supplied Infratec with the Aquion battery, which use safe, clean, and sustainable Aqueous Hybrid Ion (AHITM) technology and is the only Cradle to Cradle Certified energy storage product on the market.

The solar water pump was designed and supplied to Infratec by their strategic alliance partner
Energy Made Clean.

Infratec is part of NETcon Limited, electricity distribution specialists based in Timaru, South Canterbury, New Zealand. NETcon is a subsidiary of Alpine Energy.