Australian energy generating and retailing major AGL Energy has cut the ribbon on a microgrid combining solar generation with battery energy storage to power agricultural operations at Koompartu Farms almond orchard in South Australia.

The microgrid combines a 9.2 MW solar PV single-axis tracking array including more than 15,600 solar panels, and a 10.2 MWh battery energy storage system made up of four 2.55 MWh units, The system also includes 16 diesel backup generators, and 19 kilometres of underground high voltage power lines that will distribute power across the 9,340-hectare property.

The facility spans 15 hectares at the Koompartu property near Monash in South Australia’s Riverland region. Owned by United States-based fund manager RRG Capital Management, Koompartu is the largest almond orchard in the state with more than 2,500 hectares of plantings.

The microgrid, described by AGL as “one of the largest privately owned non-mining microgrids in Australia,” is expected to generate enough energy to meet about 85% of the farm’s 6.7 MW of energy demand while reducing reliance on diesel generation by an estimated 88%.

Brendan Weinart, general manager of sustainable business energy solutions at AGL, said the project illustrates how tailored microgrid solutions can address the energy reliability demands of large-scale agribusiness.

“This is a first-of-its-kind project and has been designed to improve local grid capacity and provide the reliability needed to keep critical irrigation systems operating,” he said. “With diesel genset usage expected to fall by 88%, the project shows the role tailored microgrid solutions can play in helping businesses reduce emissions and improve resilience.”

AGL said the project has been structured as a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) under which it builds, owns, operates and maintains the assets and supplies power to Koompartu Farms, leaving the orchard’s management team free to focus on agricultural operations rather than energy infrastructure.

The Koompartu project is the latest in a series of agricultural microgrid developments AGL has delivered in South Australia and New South Wales (NSW).

In 2024, AGL completed a 4.8 MW solar and 4.2 MWh battery microgrid at Cadell Orchards in the NSW Riverina for Australian Farming Services, reducing diesel dependence by 85%.

One year later it delivered a 6.5 MW solar and 5.1 MWh battery storage system at the nearby Canally almond orchard under a long-term PPA model.