Powering Reliability: AgEtal’s Solar Upgrade for a Brighter Future
At AgEtal, our priority has always been simple: to provide accurate, timely and reliable seed testing for our growers, traders and exporters. To support this, we’ve been steadily investing in solar power across our sites — and we’re now taking another important step forward.
Our Solar Story So Far
We’ve had solar panels helping to power our work for some time.
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Unit 9 has been running on solar for around four years
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Unit 3 has been solar-powered for about 12 months
Across both sites, we now have 144 solar panels, quietly working in the background every day to reduce our energy use and support a more sustainable operation.
What’s New: Solar Battery Storage
We are now installing 50 kW of battery storage on each unit, bringing even greater stability and resilience to our power supply.
Here’s what this means for our lab:
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During the day, we draw power from our solar panels.
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Any excess energy is stored in the batteries.
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This stored power keeps the lab running at night.
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If there’s a grid outage during the day, the batteries take over seamlessly.
In short, as long as we receive some sunlight, our testing can continue uninterrupted, even during unexpected power cuts. Any additional energy beyond what the batteries can hold will be fed back into the grid.
For our clients, this means stronger reliability:
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germination and vigour tests continue as normal
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purity and AMASTD work remain on schedule
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pathology equipment stays powered
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reporting systems keep running
Your results stay timely — no matter what’s happening outside our doors.
Our Ongoing Commitment to Sustainability
While upgrades like solar power and battery storage are important, we believe our biggest contribution to a sustainable future comes through our seed testing itself.
Helping you understand your seed quality before planting supports stronger crops, reduces waste, and benefits long-term food and fibre production. Our aim is clear: your seed should make a difference.
Looking Ahead
We’re excited to complete this upgrade and share a few photos once everything is fully installed. Thank you for your continued support as we keep improving the way we work — for you, for our industry and for the future of farming.
