New Batteries Arrive

Powering the Future: Forest Lodge Orchard’s New Panasonic Battery Setup

A historic day has arrived at Forest Lodge Orchard! 🚜⚡ We’re thrilled to announce the arrival of our brand-new Panasonic battery system, developed in partnership with Sunvolt Enterprises. This cutting-edge setup is a massive upgrade, allowing us to efficiently generate, store, and export power back to the grid.

A Serious Battery Upgrade: From 48V to 300V

Our previous battery system was 48 volts, but with the new 300-volt Panasonic setup, we’ve taken a huge leap forward. This higher voltage means less cabling, reduced power loss, and a more scalable solution that can handle much more energy than before. In short, this new system is a game-changer and makes our farm smarter and more energy-efficient.

The system includes three 100-kilowatt battery banks and a 150-kilowatt inverter (expandable up to 300 kilowatts), giving us the power to not only run our operations efficiently but also export surplus electricity back to the grid. This opens up a new revenue stream for the orchard, making our farm not just a producer of Cromwell cherries, but also of clean, renewable energy.

Seamless Integration with Sunvolt Enterprises

A huge shoutout goes to Sunvolt Enterprises for their seamless integration with our existing software. They’ve designed a cloud-based energy management system tailored to our specific needs, allowing us to control when and how we export power back to the grid. This system even responds to real-time requests from our energy provider, making it incredibly easy to sell surplus electricity when demand (and prices) are high.

The Economics of Our New Setup

While the initial investment for our new solar array and battery system was significant, the long-term economics are firmly in our favor. By generating and storing our own power, we’re not only reducing the need to buy electricity from the grid, but we’re also set to save around $22k annually on energy costs. On top of that, with the ability to export surplus power back to the grid as a new revenue stream, we expect to earn much more than the cost of initial capital. This setup is set to boost both our sustainability and profitability, making it a smart investment for our orchard’s future.

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Panasonic & Sunvolt: Leading the Charge in Energy Innovation

We’re proud to be working with Panasonic New Zealand and Sunvolt Enterprises, both leaders in energy innovation. Panasonic’s lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries are renowned for their stability, long lifespan, and efficiency—making them the perfect choice for our zero-carbon orchard. And together with Sunvolt’s smart control systems, this setup has been designed to meet our farm's specific needs. NZ’s agriculture industry is changing, and we’re helping modernize the way farmers think about energy on their farms. The future is of farming is electric! 🌿🍒

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