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CommercialBackup Power
Dairy Farm, Nyandarua
A solar and battery design to keep milk cooling and water pumping running on a dairy farm where outages put the morning's milk at risk.
- Property type · illustrative
- Small dairy farm
- Location · illustrative
- Nyandarua
- System type · illustrative
- Solar backup for cooling and pumping
- Category
- Commercial, Backup Power
Stock photography used for illustration. Not images of this scenario.
Project overview
This project considers a small dairy farm where milk must be cooled quickly after milking and water must be pumped daily for the herd. Both loads are critical, and both are affected when grid supply is interrupted.
The challenge
A fictional scenario
In this fictional scenario, outages during or after milking mean the cooling tank stops, and milk can be rejected at the collection centre. The farm runs a diesel generator as a fallback, but fuel costs are rising and the generator is not always started in time.
Proposed system configuration
A ground-mounted array near the milking shed feeds an inverter/charger and battery bank supplying the cooling tank and water pump. The pump runs during peak sun hours to fill a storage tank, so it rarely draws on the battery. The diesel generator is kept as a last resort.
Installation considerations
- Load review of the cooling tank's start-up current, which affects inverter sizing.
- Array sited close to the milking shed to keep cable runs short, with fencing from livestock.
- Pump timer and storage tank set up so pumping happens while the sun is highest.
- Changeover arranged so the generator only starts if the battery runs low.
Illustrative outcome
What the design aims to achieve
- 01
Milk cooling is designed to continue through typical outages, within the battery's usable capacity.
- 02
Daily water pumping is intended to run mainly on direct solar power.
- 03
Generator use is expected to fall to extended low-sun periods rather than every outage.
Outcomes describe design intent for a fictional scenario. They are not measured results or a guarantee of performance. Real-world results depend on actual consumption, weather, equipment and site conditions.
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