Imagine you’re halfway through your annual wheat harvest when a global crisis sends diesel and fertiliser prices soaring. All at once, your costs surge and your slender profit margin shrinks.

Are there alternatives? Increasingly, the answer is yes. Putting solar on the shed roof or an unproductive field could help keep the farm running.

In August, the federal government announced it would lift the cap on the long-running small-scale solar subsidy from 100 kilowatts to one megawatt – a size well suited to larger energy users, such as big farms.

If this plan comes into effect, it should reduce installation costs by about 20%, saving an estimated A$68,000 on the installation of a 250 kW system.

This could make larger solar systems more appealing for more farmers, reducing electricity costs and boosting energy self-reliance in the bush. It’s not yet possible to be fully self-reliant, as electric tractors and heavy machinery are still emerging. Anti-renewable sentiment in some communities could also be a challenge.

How far can farms go?

If farmers have the space and funds to build a large solar array, this may make sense as a first measure. The ability to produce low-cost electricity opens up many more options – especially if paired with energy storage such as batteries, so power can be stored and used later.

Some farms are shifting to hybrid models, where solar and batteries are........

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