Attracted by the drop in the price of solar panels in recent years and the prospect of the system paying for itself in less than four years, Andrew Gill and his family decided to install a solar diesel hybrid system at one of the pump sites on their Narromine farm at the end of last year.
The move has led to a cut in pumping costs from $76/megalitre to $41/ML and slashed diesel use by between 45,000 and 55,000 litres a year. Over 25 years, that equates to a saving of more than 1 million litres of fuel and a reduction of more than 3000 tonnes in carbon emissions.