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German dairy farm powered by the sun
This dairy farm saves on energy costs, and is supplied with clean solar power 24/7.
Before an SMA Energy Systems for businesses was installed, this dairy farm consumed around 40,000 kWh of electricity a year. In addition to the milking machines and automatic feeding systems, other loads in the cowshed and neighboring buildings need to be supplied with power. In order to save money on energy costs and generate green solar power supply in the future, the farm operator installed two Sunny Tripower CORE1 inverters as well as the commercial storage system, SMA Storage Business. In addition to a 100 kW solar system, which modules were installed on the roof of the cowshed, the farmer's Energy Management System also has the SMA Storage battery with a capacity of 67 kWh and a Sunny Tripower Storage 60 battery inverter to provide clean energy at all hours if required.
This gives the farm a 97% independence rate, and the purchase of electricity from the grid is almost 0%. The entire system was installed by the SMA Solar professional partner Vetter.
The SMA Data Manager M is an essential part of SMA Energy Systems Business. The energy manager monitors and analyses all of the farm's energy flows and sends the data to the Sunny Portal powered by ennexOS or the SMA Energy app, where the data is clearly visualized. the dairy farm owner now knows that it is not the milking process that consumes most of the energy, but rather the mixing of the feed and the cleaning of the milking equipment. He carries out these two daily routine processes in the morning or afternoon, if green power from his own PV system is available. In doing so, he avoids expensive load peaks and prevents purchasing electricity from the grid.
The goal
To only use self-generated power and remain independent from grid operators over time.
The solution
An SMA Energy System Business to generate and store clean power, as well as monitoring energy flows during operation For the optimal consumption of solar power.
The result
- up to 100% of energy needs satisfied by self-generated electricity.
- Additional cost savings thanks to optimised consumption flows
- Clearly displayed and easily accessible viewing of the energy flows located in Sunny Portal powered by ennexOS, or in the future SMA Energy app
“This installation is a worthwhile investment, even on cloudy days with little sunshine. Even the installer didn't expect such results. When it pays for itself, the energy won't cost me a cent more.”
Michael Nägele, dairy farmer.
At night, power comes from the storage system
During the night, the electricity requirement of the barn is low. With a herd of around 80 dairy cows, the energy required at night is always 100% covered by the energy stored during the day, even on cloudy days with little sunshine. "Even the installer didn't expect such results," said Michael.
Solar power offers great opportunities for agriculture
The time is long-gone when solar energy from one's own roof was generated solely for feeding electricity into the grid. Harmonized systems such as the SMA Energy System Business make it easy for businessowners not only to generate solar power, but also to optimally control and store solar power and thus use it flexibly and efficiently.
