THE BRIEF
The challenge
Troy and Janelle weren't chasing the biggest solar system on the market. Like many dairy farmers, they wanted greater control over rising electricity costs and an investment that would continue delivering value for decades to come.
The challenge was that the dairy shed's main roof faced west — not the ideal orientation for a conventional solar installation. Simply filling the roof with panels would have been the easy option, but not necessarily the smartest one.
The real challenge wasn't fitting the most panels. It was designing a system that made the very best use of the roof available and ensured every kilowatt-hour generated worked harder for the farm.
THE DESIGN
Our solution
Every Sinclair project starts with understanding how the customer uses energy — not by selecting a standard package.
Working alongside Troy and Janelle, we designed a system around the way the dairy operates. By using tilt mounting systems, we were able to optimise the panel angle on the west-facing roof, improving energy production and making better use of the available roof space.
The 60-panel solar array was then paired with a Sigenergy hybrid battery system, allowing excess daytime generation to be stored and used through the evening, overnight and into the early morning milking.
Instead of exporting valuable solar energy back to the grid for a relatively low return, more of the farm's own energy stays on the farm — reducing electricity costs and extracting the greatest possible value from every kilowatt-hour generated.
