A large Sunshine Coast nursery will reduce its energy consumption even while increasing production with load shifting, upgrading lighting and air conditioners and the addition of a Solar PV system.

Installing audit recommendations reduced HQ Plantations energy costs, CO2 emissions and demand charges by changing behaviours and management practices.

A South-East Queensland nursery has implemented a 19.89kW Solar System to offset grid power following their QFF Energy Savers audit.

An energy audit recommended replacing a 75kW pump with a 45kW pump and Variable Speed Control. Also, eliminating some right angle bends from the pipes at an adjacent 4kW pump will allow it to deliver 1kL of extra water per hour.

The farm has implemented a lighting upgrade, Power Factor Correction (PFC) and a 30.4kW Solar PV system to achieve annual energy savings over $14,700 and greenhouse gas emission reductions of 40.1 t CO2-e. The lights and PFC offer a payback period of under 3 years, with the PV payback around 5½ years. The Pump VSD and pressure transducer once implemented will allow the pump to operate at its Best Efficiency Point.

An energy audit for the on-site electricity usage recommended the installation of variable speed controls on pumps, replacement pumps with more energy efficient drive units, hot water system replacement, lighting replacement, air conditioning upgrade options & installation of solar photovoltaic system. Emission savings have been estimated to be 11.8 t CO2-e per year. 

The audit identified several energy efficiency opportunities including regular checks for leaks in the irrigation and compressed air systems and a lighting upgrade. The audit recommended a 10kW Solar PV system to complement energy efficiency practices already in place, to further cut power required from the grid by 34% to save over $4,000 per year with a payback of less than 5 years and carbon reductions of 14.5 t CO2-e per annum.

The irrigation energy audit assessed a number of irrigation systems, and recommended the addition of variable speed drives to an existing pumping station consisting of 2 x 7kW and 1 x 5.5kW fixed pumps. The upgrade would result in energy savings of 15% with a payback of 11 years and with carbon emission reductions of 1.4 t CO2-e per annum.

A number of initiatives were recommended including replacing 400W mercury vapour high bay lights with 150W equivalents, adding insulation to hot water piping and the addition of a 30kW solar PV system. In total the measures will save nearly $11,000 per year with a payback period of 5.5 years and carbon reductions of 37.5 t CO2-e per annum