Solar for Farms and Rural Businesses, Northern Rivers

★★★★★ Rated 5.0 from 49 Google reviews · read them on Google · read them on our reviews page

Farms and rural businesses often have the two things solar needs: big roofs and a lot of daytime power use. They also have the things that make rural solar harder: long power lines, three-phase equipment, remote sites and weather. Here is how we approach it.

Why rural sites suit solar

• Sheds, barns and packing sheds offer large, simple roof areas, often with good orientation.
• Daytime loads. Irrigation, water pumps, cool rooms, dairy and packing equipment, workshop tools and chillers often run in daylight, when solar produces.
• Long lines. If you are at the end of a rural line, supply can be weaker and outages more frequent, so a battery for critical loads may be worth thinking about.

What we look at on a farm

• When you use power. Seasonal peaks, irrigation timers, milking times and cool-room duty cycles. Interval data from your meter, where available, shows this clearly.
• Three-phase and motors. Many farm loads are three-phase motors with high starting currents. We design the inverter and switchboard around them. See single-phase vs three-phase.
• Roof and fixings. Older sheds, corrugated iron and skylights all change how panels can go on. If a roof needs attention before solar goes on, we say so.
• Ground mount. Where a roof is not suitable, a ground-mounted array can be an option, subject to approvals.
• Weather and exposure. Storms, wind and coastal air mean we check that equipment and fixings suit the site.
• Connection and export. Rural lines often have export limits. See solar export limits.

Batteries and backup on the farm

A battery can carry solar into the evening, keep a cool room, a pump or the house running through an outage, and smooth out loads. Whether it is worth it depends on your tariff, your outages and your priorities. We give you a straight answer, and we do not recommend a battery that does not make sense for the site. Where backup is the priority, see whole-home vs essential-circuits backup. We install Sigenergy (premium) and GoodWe (mid-tier), along with Sungrow, Solax and Tesla. If you are well off the grid already, see off-grid solar.

Farm house and farm business

Many rural properties have a house and a business on the same supply, or two meters. We look at both, because the best answer is sometimes one system serving the shed and a smaller one for the house. Staff and farm vehicles can charge from the same solar. See commercial EV chargers.

Our commercial service area is the Northern Rivers, from Tweed Heads south to Evans Head and west to Lismore, and it includes Casino. See the areas we service.

Finance and rebates

Business finance for commercial systems is arranged through our finance partner, Solaris Finance. The NSW household 0% loan is for homes and does not apply to businesses. Rebates depend on system size: small-scale systems up to 100 kW can earn STCs, taken off at point of sale. The Clean Energy Regulator has announced that the scheme is to be extended to systems from 100 kW up to 1 MW, for mid-scale solar installed from 1 October 2026, subject to regulations being in place, so we confirm the position for your size when we design it. Ask your accountant how solar is treated for your business tax. We provide the paperwork they need.

How we handle it on our jobs

1. Free on-site assessment first. For commercial sites, including Casino, we start with a visit to your site, with your power bills or interval data in hand.
2. Design from your data. Our own in-house electricians size the system from when you actually use power. Our background is 25 years in solar and large commercial electrical work.
3. Approvals. We prepare and submit the Essential Energy application and deal with any export limits.
4. Install around your trade. No subcontractors, and the work is planned around your trading hours. Then monitoring set-up and a sign-off call.

We design commercial systems up to 1 MW, and our 25-year workmanship warranty applies to our installation work on commercial jobs too. Equipment is covered by the manufacturers’ warranties.

Questions we get asked

Can solar run irrigation pumps and dairy equipment?

Often it can supply a large share of the daytime load, because pumps and milking plant run in daylight. Starting currents and three-phase motors need to be designed for properly, which we do from your real usage data.

Do you service farms around Casino?

Yes. Casino is in our commercial service area. For commercial jobs we start with a free on-site assessment.

Can a farm have a battery?

Yes. A battery can carry solar into the evening, back up critical equipment such as cool rooms, and in some cases help with demand charges. We tell you honestly if one is worth it for your site.

Is there an export limit on rural lines?

Often, yes. Rural lines are long, and Essential Energy limits export to protect local voltage. We apply for the right connection and design around the limit.

What size system can you do?

We design commercial systems up to 1 MW.

Sources

Last checked 6 October 2026. The extension of STCs to systems from 100 kW to 1 MW is described by the Regulator as an intention subject to regulations, so we confirm what applies when we design.

• Clean Energy Regulator, Small-scale renewable energy scheme
• Clean Energy Regulator, SRES solar PV eligibility expansion, 100 kW to 1 MW (announced August 2026)
• Essential Energy, Small Scale Solar Connections customer summary
• Essential Energy, Solar and other small generators

Related pages

• Commercial solar for Northern Rivers businesses
• Commercial EV chargers
• Off-grid solar
• Single-phase vs three-phase
• Solar export limits
• Sigenergy batteries
• GoodWe batteries

Talk to us

Book a free on-site assessment · Leave your details → · 0483 903 020 (Mon-Fri 7am-6pm, Sat 7am-4pm) We’ll text you within minutes.

Find us on Google Maps to read our reviews, or follow our installs on Facebook and Instagram.