A blooming success story

Due to a requirement for precise temperature control across a range of cool rooms, energy is one of the major overheads at the Aker Flowerbulbs farm located in the rich volcanic soil of Silvan in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges.

Manager Matt Blom said that the bulbs are imported from the parent company in Holland, which was founded in 1894.

“We only started in Australia in the 1980s and sell tulips, lilies, irises, gladioli, hyacinths, daffodils and other bulbs. Our cool rooms have to maintain a precise temperature ranging from +30 to -1.5°C, depending on the species.

“The purpose of the temperature control is to put the bulb to sleep so that our customers, flower growers, can produce flowers all year round.

“We previously spent $60,000 a year on energy. We are now on track to substantially reduce this amount through our solar system and our off-peak grid power is less than last year, as we need to use this source during the night. Even so, we are currently exploring the economics of the use of batteries in conjunction with our solar.

“We expect to save the capital cost of the system in five years, with savings of $13,497 (or 32%) in year one and continuing to $176,010, (31%) in year 10,” Blom said.

The system was designed and installed by AEES Group. Managing director Richard Martin said they started on the design by taking the solar usage interval data, which is now available from the smart meters that have been installed throughout Victoria.

“We used this to determine the size of the solar system that would be required and the economic justification for the capital cost. The data allowed us to do an accurate cost-benefit analysis.

“We recommended a system with 231 Trina Smart panels coupled with Tigo DC optimisation as we have always received high yields from this system with remote live time monitoring, which allows us to provide timely maintenance and quickly detect any problems.

“We have already had a situation when a string of panels was underperforming through the failure of a $6.50 fuse, which we were quickly able to identify and fix.

“The monitoring results are also beamed to the head office of Aker Flowerbulbs in Holland, and they have been so impressed that they have moved to install their own solar system based on the Australian experience,” he said.

Trina Solar APAC Sales Manager Govind Kant said that the experience of Aker Flowerbulbs was typical of the feedback he was receiving for this type of system, particularly where there was a consistent energy requirement, rather than sharp peaks and troughs.

“Their experience with Trinasmart panels and real-time monitoring not only provides continuous input of the savings benefits of the system, but allows timely maintenance to overcome any problems and maintain optimum performance.

“We are also pleased that the experience in Victoria has led to their head office on the other side of the world moving to install their own system, based on the Australian success.

“After all, this type of testimonial is our best form of advertising,” Govind said.