How To Turn Energy Into Opportunity For Your Agribusiness

Energy is a significant cost for agriculture and horticulture businesses. Here’s how to turn energy into opportunity for your agribusiness.

From irrigating and warehousing to cold storage, the horticultural industry leans heavily on power to drive its operations.

The Australian energy market is changing. This presents new opportunities for businesses to take control of their energy and turn it into a competitive advantage.

Tap into better energy

Irrigating systems are the backbone of thriving crops. But they can be energy – and water – intensive. In fact, more than 7.8 million megalitres of water was applied to crops in Australia in 2020-2021.

While many growers are looking at smarter ways to use water, there is a way to save money on energy costs by looking at how you power the pumps used for watering.

Growers looking to save are perfectly placed to reap the benefits of buying energy wholesale. Growers can uncover an additional layer of savings by simply looking at how and when they pump water.

It can be as simple as scheduling the powering of pumps when energy prices are low and keeping pumping at a minimum when prices are higher. This is called demand response and put simply, it means responding to price signals in the market.

Keep it cool.

Cold storage comes into the picture once crops are harvested and need to be kept fresh before they make their way to store shelves across the country. Crops can be kept in cold storage for long periods and keeping them at stable temperatures is crucial – this can drive up energy costs.

With some planning, growers can make the most of demand response, even for operations like cold storage that require a steady source of power.

Growers with any flexibility to precool can reduce power usage at certain peak price periods. Backup generators can also switch on as a power source when prices peak, to avoid high prices and take pressure off our shared electricity grid.

Summer’s a hit.

For many growers, heavy seasonal energy use is a fact of life. This also means it’s a predictable annual expense that can be planned for, and turned into an energy opportunity instead.

Instead of paying the same rate year-round – harvest or not – buying energy from the wholesale market connects you to the actual price of power. That means growers have more opportunities to make the most of the wholesale market’s low prices.

While high prices are typically short-lived and infrequent, strategies like demand response and Flow Powers’ Ceiling can help minimise growers’ exposure to these peaks.

By taking control of how and when energy is used, growers can turn energy into a competitive advantage. Making the simple switch to wholesale can help spark new opportunities to grow savings.

Find out more about how Flow Power is helping Australian agribusinesses take control of their energy here.

Alternatively, our friendly team can help you understand your energy options, opportunities and which products or services are best suited. You can submit your questions through our website contact form or by speaking directly to our energy specialists on 1300 08 06 08.

Flow Power will be exhibiting at foodpro in Melbourne from 23-26 July. Register for free to visit their team at Stand X16 to chat about the right energy option for your agribusiness.