Santiago Ramirez set up an egg farm in 2009 powered entirely by solar energy and hasn’t looked back since. Overlooking the beautiful scenery of the Grampians, the farm is located in Navarre – a Victorian country town near Stawell – and has been fully self-sufficient since the solar system was installed.

The farm spans 200 acres and houses 7,500 free range chickens that produce around 2.2 million eggs per year. To support the farm, an 18 x 200watt panel solar system was installed along with a bank of batteries that holds 72 kilowatts.

Mr Ramirez said there were several factors that motivated him to opt for solar power. He wanted something that could cater to the welfare of the animals and sustainable practices. Using solar energy to power the farm offered the chance to be innovative and has given the farm a competitive edge in how they can market themselves. But mostly, Mr Ramirez says the environmental factor was a big motivation for choosing solar. “It’s also about doing your part for the environment on a daily basis,” he said.

Incorporating solar power with a country lifestyle and running a business has been a suitable transition for Mr Ramirez. “You’re on the land and in the business of gathering land resources and turning it into something… so it’s a reminder of nature every day,” he said.

Based on his personal experience, Mr Ramirez would highly recommend solar power to other people. Not only can he see firsthand the positive effect it has on the environment but he can also confirm a significant reduction in electricity bills. “It’s a great feeling when you switch on the button and you can generate your own power,” he said.

Images thanks to: www.ramirezfarming.com

Following a recent review of its Solar Feed-In Scheme the South Australian government has announced key changes that will see further take up of solar power. The first change is to lift the installed capacity of the scheme from 10 megawatts (MW) to 60 MW.

In addition, the amount paid to owners of eligible solar power systems for the surplus electricity they export to the grid will increase from $0.44 per kilowatt-hour to $0.54 per kilowatt-hour.

This change could see up to 30,000 additional households benefit from the premium feed-in tariff, depending on the average size of the solar power system installed.

Some new conditions will be applied to the scheme, though these are unlikely to affect most people installing household solar power systems.

Further details are available here.

A new sports sponsorship deal will see Clear Solar associated with Football Federation Victoria and the Melbourne Victory Football Club. Clear Solar has also re-signed as Melbourne Victory Women’s team Major Sponsor for another Westfield W-League season.

The sponsorship means Clear Solar will have a presence at forthcoming Melbourne Victory and Football Federation Victoria games, community events and soccer clinics.

Clear Solar’s Business Development Manager for Sport Sponsorships, James McInerney, said the affiliation will provide an opportunity for Clear Solar to develop a positive relationship with Melbourne Victory Football Club, Football Federation Victoria and their respective communities. “We want to work with clubs to offer their direct community solar solutions,” he said.

Mr McInerney said communities in the past have expressed a want or need for more information and knowledge about solar power and that part of this sponsorship deal will help to fulfill that area.
“The relationship will provide an opportunity for the community to become educated about solar power and offer an avenue for them to have access to solar,” Mr McInerney said.

The association with Football Federation Victoria offers the chance for local soccer clubs to get involved, including players and their families. “There are also ongoing opportunities to hold corporate events and work with high-end clients,” Mr McInerney explained.

At this stage, the sponsorship activity will be concentrated in Victoria with a strong focus on the Melbourne community.

To find out more information about upcoming events or to see if your local soccer club can become involved, contact James McInerney direct on 0430 794 742.

SunPower recently achieved a world record for the efficiency of large area silicon wafer solar cells. Their Philippine manufacturing plant produced full-scale prototype cells that operate at 24.2% efficiency.

High efficiency solar cells mean that more electricity can be generated from a smaller area, helping to drive the reduction in costs of solar power. Higher efficiency solar panels are of particular benefit to owners of properties with limited roof area.

SunPower has maintained its position as a world leader in solar panel technology, continually introducing more efficient panels to the market.

SunPower solar panels are a new addition to the Clear Solar range. Click here for further information.

Sunpower Solar Panel

Clear Solar would like to extend thanks to everyone who voted in our 10,000th Customer competition. Voters decided that Michael Hewitt was the most inspiring customer of our seven finalists.

Choosing Our 10,000th Customer

Clear Solar installs dozens of solar power systems around Australia each day. Whilst we could identify the day on which our 10,000th solar power system was installed, with so many installations all happening at the same time it wasn’t possible to identify the specific customer. So to help us choose we invited the public to vote for their preferred winner of $5,000 cash plus a refund of the cost of their system.

Eligible customers were invited to send us a photo and details of why they thought they should be our 10,000th customer. Over a two week period anybody who wished to had the opportunity to vote via Facebook, and Michael Hewitt won by a wide margin.

Getting by on a pension, Michael said every dollar his family could save from reducing energy consumption would benefit their young daughter and also the environment.
“Every effort we make for the environment means a better future for everyone’s children,” Michael said.

Michael said it wasn’t a hard decision to install solar panels when he considered the benefits.
“We live in a country with rising power costs but an abundance of sunshine. Why wouldn’t we try and utilise this resource?”